Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Something Wicked This Way Comes, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Good vs. Evil
Age, Time, and Acceptance
Love and Happiness
Fear, the Supernatural, and the Unknown
Summary
Analysis
Suddenly, all the mirrors in the Mirror Maze shatter simultaneously and fall to the ground, “all because of the sound” made by Charles. With his scream, Charles “accepts everything at last.” He “accepts the carnival,” and Will and Jim, and “above all else himself and all of life.” Will stands in a sea of broken glass. “Dad, what’d you do?” he asks.
Without accepting his age and inevitable death, Charles would be unable to make it successfully through the maze and wouldn’t be able to destroy Mr. Dark and save Jim. Without accepting the truth, Charles will never be happy.
Themes
