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Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shutter Island, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Illness and Delusion
Conspiracy and Paranoia
Guilt and Grief
Violence and War
Isolation
Summary
Analysis
When Teddy and Chuck arrive on Shutter Island, Deputy Warden McPherson greets them. The deputy is a young man with blond hair who Teddy thinks looks like a Texan. McPherson is surrounded by his orderlies, most of whom are Black. Teddy notes that the few white men there look malnourished and dead in the face. McPherson asks Teddy and Chuck for identification, and they produce their U.S. marshal badges. McPherson says he has never seen a U.S. marshal badge before.
The fact that Teddy and Chuck are U.S. marshals suggests they have come to the island for more than just a missing woman. After all, the federal government would not send multiple agents to recover a single woman missing from a mental institution. Notoriously, in the 1950s, the federal government—as well as most state governments—cared very little about what was going on with such institutions, which is a significant reason why there was such widespread abuse.
Themes
Teddy looks around and sees the beach covered with driftwood, mollusk skeletons, dead fish, and whatever trash managed to find its way to the island. Teddy thinks Dolores would enjoy the island, but all Teddy can think about is the danger of the sea. As the ferry leaves, Teddy promises to call when he needs a pickup. He knows the storm could cause a delay but is not especially worried about it.
Other than Chuck and the orderlies, everything Teddy sees when he looks around the island is dead—yet another ominous sign. Additionally, the warning of severe weather foreshadows the literal and metaphorical storm Teddy and Chuck will find themselves in.
Themes
McPherson takes Teddy and Chuck up to the hospital's main building. On the way, they notice armed guards everywhere, and McPherson tells them it is a maximum security institution. He also tells them Ashecliffe operates under dual charters, including the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. As they walk, McPherson also points out the warden, who reminds Teddy of a soldier on a holy crusade. He wears a gold badge and walks with his head held high. McPherson promises Teddy and Chuck they will meet the warden later. Teddy wonders why they don't talk to him immediately but quickly lets it go.
The presence of armed guards implies the prisoners at Ashecliffe are not only mentally ill but also dangerous. Meanwhile, Teddy’s description of the warden makes him sound like someone who is proud of his job and takes it seriously; he has something of the fanatic about him, which catches Teddy’s eye and could be a cause for concern. Again, this section sees Lehane setting up future conflicts, which, for the moment, are still far off and abstract.
Themes
Before going any further, McPherson tells Teddy and Chuck the most important rules of the island. First and foremost, they are only allowed to interact with the institution's patients with an orderly present. Then, McPherson points out which building is which—Ward A is the male ward, Ward B is the female ward, and Ward C is the staff quarters. Ward C is also what used to be Fort Walton and is strictly off-limits.
Again, this section is more setup and foreshadowing from Lehane. The fact that Teddy and Chuck have already discussed Fort Walton (the Civil War-era prisoner of war camp), only to learn it is off limits, suggests it will play an important part in the mystery to come.
Themes
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Additionally, McPherson informs Teddy and Chuck that they must surrender their firearms. Teddy briefly puts up a fight, but McPherson quickly shuts him down, and, in the end, he and Chuck surrender their guns. McPherson tells them he will have their weapons placed in the warden's office, where they can retrieve them once they are ready to depart.
Teddy and Chuck are already out of their comfort zone and surrendering their guns makes it worse. However, even if McPherson has other intentions, taking the guns is a reasonable security precaution at an institution full of people who are a danger to themselves and others.
Themes
Once they settle the gun business, McPherson offers to take Teddy and Chuck to see Dr. Cawley, the Chief of Staff on Shutter Island. McPherson walks them around the outside of Ward A, where they see a number of patients and orderlies. The patients are outside tending to plants, though they are manacled and surrounded by orderlies. As they walk, McPherson tells Teddy about the island's previous history as an army post and a prisoner of war camp.
Throughout the novel, the people at Ashecliffe blur the line of being patients or prisoners. Although the doctors always insist on calling them patients, every part of the institution looks and feels like a prison. The fact that it used to be a prison only serves to drive home this point.
Themes
Peeking above the institution is the old lighthouse; Teddy notices it and questions McPherson. McPherson says it is a treatment facility for sewage, which is necessary because of how much trash ends up in the water. McPherson also points out a building that used to be the commander's quarters for the Union Army, though now Dr. Cawley and the warden occupy it. While they walk and talk, Teddy spots a female patient gardening. She is almost bald, and she notices Teddy as she walks by. Their eyes meet, and she puts a finger to her lips, smiles, and shakes her head. As she does, Teddy sees a red scar along her throat.
McPherson’s explanation regarding the lighthouse is suspect, though Teddy lets it go for the time being. Meanwhile, Dr. Cawley and the warden’s living quarters demonstrate their superiority over everyone else on the island. Additionally, this passage marks Teddy’s first interaction with one of Shutter Island’s patients and, like everything else in this chapter, it is quite ominous. Of course, given the woman’s presumed mental state, her gesture could mean anything. Regardless, it is an intense and frightening image.
Themes
When Teddy tunes back into his conversation with McPherson, the latter is talking about Dr. Cawley’s credentials. Evidently, he is one of the most important doctors in his field. Scotland Yard, MI5, and the OSS regularly consult him. When Teddy asks what those institutions would want with a psychiatrist, McPherson says it is war-related and classified.
During the Cold War era, many organizations in the United States, Britain, and the U.S.S.R. were performing highly classified medical experiments that often crossed ethical lines. Though it is not yet clear whether Dr. Cawley is part of such experiments, the era during which this novel takes place suggests that he could be.
Themes
Together, McPherson, Teddy, and Chuck go through several security checkpoints. When Chuck comments on the extreme security measures, McPherson reminds him that the institution takes on only the most severe cases and says there is no other place like it in the United States. Teddy asks if a man named Vincent Gryce is on the island. Gryce is a criminal who killed all his relatives, scalped them, and then made hats out of their scalps.
In the 1950s, politicians and the public engaged in fierce debates over what to do with violent criminals suffering from severe mental illness. In previous decades, they would have been put to death with no questions asked. However, with the increase in popularity of psychology, ethical questions led to a reconsideration of whether and how to treat such people.
Themes
McPherson confirms that they are holding Gryce on the island. According to McPherson, the government would have executed Gryce if it was not for Shutter Island. He is happy Shutter Island exists because it gives him and his people a chance to study Gryce, treat him as humanely as possible, and hopefully figure out a solution. As they arrive at Dr. Cawley's office, Chuck expresses skepticism about McPherson's thesis.
Here, one of the novel’s most important debates is clearly stated; that is, whether or not solutions exist to “cure” individuals like Gryce. A secondary question—and perhaps the more important one—is how society should treat someone like Gryce if there is no possibility of a cure. These are problems Teddy will contemplate and struggle with over the course of the story.
Themes
