Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Son of a Trickster, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dysfunctional Families, Responsibility, and Maturity
Love vs. Violence
Escapism and Confronting Problems
The Environment and Human Destruction
Summary
Analysis
When Jared returns to school, he feels like he needs a vacation from his Christmas vacation. While dropping him off, Jared’s mom tells him that she’s away for the evening and gives him $20 for food. Jared comments that Richie is a big boy who can sell his own drugs without her, but Jared’s mom just rolls her eyes.
Here, Jared hints at the fact that the partying he did over Christmas vacation has not actually given him an escape—in many ways, it only exacerbated his problems and made him want a break from the partying and drinking. This suggests that, while using drugs and alcohol may feel like a way of gaining control in the moment, these substances actually diminish people’s control over their lives in the long term.
Themes
At school, several students excitedly greet Jared, calling him “Cookie Dude.” Crashpad approaches Jared and says that someone put clips of Jared spliced together on YouTube—Jared falling off of things, throwing up on a trampoline, and failing at water-skiing. Jared says that he’ll survive, figuring that the only way to deal with this is to laugh it off. But surprisingly, he also gets attention from girls: a few approach him with new interest and ask him to hang out. They also tell him that Ebony was the one to post the video.
The video clips of all the embarrassing things Jared has done while drunk illustrate just how out of control his substance abuse has become—particularly given the fact that he doesn’t seem to remember any of these incidents. While Jared uses alcohol as a way of forgetting his problems and trying to feel better, this tactic only ends up pushing him further out of control.
Themes
At the end of the day, Jared sees Sarah coming out of the front office—she’s talking to a teacher about fracking and Indigenous politics. When Sarah finishes, Jared asks if she’s attending his school now. Sarah immediately changes the subject to the Idle No More walk, where Native people are protesting an oil company and budget bills that interfere with Native treaties. Jared says that the bill is pretty much a done deal, but Sarah accuses him of conceding too easily.
Sarah’s interest in Indigenous culture and politics ties into the environmentalist sentiments that the unnamed narrator expressed in Chapters 2 and 11. As she talks about fracking (oil and gas drilling) and the real-life Idle No More walk (which protests against environmental destruction), the book suggests that it’s important to protect nature and to recognize how Native people, in particular, are leading that charge.
Themes
After school, Jared and Sarah walk home together, picking up some chow mein from the nearby takeout. He thinks that their silence is comfortable as he considers how much time and effort Ebony took to make the video of him—he’s actually sort of flattered. When Jared and Sarah get back to his room, she’s glad to hang out with him because Mrs. Jaks doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Jared texts Crashpad about the Idle No More protest, and Crashpad says that he’s going to be a drummer at the walk. Sarah holds up her phone, showing Jared the protests in Vancouver and wishing she was there.
The fact that Crashpad also knows about and is attending the Idle No More protests suggests that this movement is broadly important, as multiple characters in the book are passionate about protecting the environment. The fact that this is a real-life protest movement also confirms that this is not just a fictional problem—environmental degradation has real stakes for all human beings.
Themes
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At that moment, Dylan knocks on the basement door and apologizes that Ebony made the video. Jared glibly says that it’s fine and shuts the door on him. When Jared returns to Sarah, she says that his couch smells like dog, and Jared explains that he had a dog that died. Sarah replies that she’s sorry. As it grows dark, Sarah asks if he wants to fool around, saying that he’s slightly better than masturbating. Jared jokes that no one could resist a line like that, and she slides a hand up his shirt.
As Jared gets to know Sarah better, it’s clear that they have similarly sarcastic personalities, but Sarah’s genuine sympathy reveals her kindness as well. Sarah bringing up Baby Killer also starts to link Jared’s relationships with the two of them, as both are built on genuine affection.
Themes
Later, Sarah and Jared take a breather from making out and Sarah puts music on, dancing around the room in a white sports bra. Jared wraps himself in the sleeping bag, watching her as her skirt twirls and she sings along to the music. Soon after, Sarah’s cell phone rings—it’s Mrs. Jaks, checking up on Sarah. When Sarah tells Mrs. Jaks that she owns her own sexuality, Mrs. Jaks gets angry that they’re having sex—she thought that Jared was a good boy.
Jared and Sarah are both forced into situations that are beyond their maturity level as teenagers. Mrs. Jaks worries about Jared and Sarah having sex and wants to protect their innocence, but this is somewhat ironic, since Sarah and Jared’s lives aren’t particularly innocent or carefree. Both of them have to protect and take care of the adults in their lives.
Themes
After Sarah hangs up, she asks why Jared spends so much time with Mrs. Jaks. Jared explains that when his mom spent time in rehab and anger management (following the incident with David), Mrs. Jaks took him in. Jared doesn’t mention that his mom also went to jail for a short period of time. Sarah asks if his dad is alive, but Jared changes the subject, asking how long Sarah is staying in Kitimat. Sarah says that she isn’t sure that her mom ever wants her to come home, and she gets up to leave. Jared tells Sarah that he’ll call her the next day, and she gives him her cell phone number because Mrs. Jaks listens in on the landline. She blows him a kiss and leaves.
Here, the book shows another way in which Jared and Sarah relate to each other. Not only do they both have a tendency to take responsibility for the adults in their lives, but they also receive love and care from the Jakses in a way that they don’t from their biological parents. Sarah’s uncertainty about whether or not her mom wants her at home isn’t lost on Jared, who often feels abandoned by his mother.
Themes
Jared lies back, looking up at the Darth Vader poster on the ceiling. The POWDER HOUSE RULES thought bubble is coming unstuck from the ceiling, and a spiderweb now hangs off of it. Jared recalls how David was charged with assault for breaking Jared’s ribs, but so was his mom, for nailing David to the floor and leaving him there. She might have gotten off if she played the helpless mother protecting her son, but she was very aggressive in court. After what happened, Mrs. Jaks told Jared to forgive David so that Jared could live without fear and pain; his mom, on the other hand, said that Jared had to be harder.
The slow degradation of the Darth Vader poster reflects Jared’s own coming of age—it’s a gradual process, but each day, Jared seems to face a new problem and take on more adult responsibilities. Additionally, the contrast between Mrs. Jaks’s and Jared’s mom’s advice here reflects the difference between Jared’s relationships with the two women. Mrs. Jaks is a much more positive and supportive presence for Jared, as she tries to counsel him to move on and not hold onto anger. Jared’s mother, on the other hand, implies that he should become emotionally hardened to the world and fuel that hardness with violence. But the fact that Jared’s mom’s violence left him without her for a period of time only emphasizes how using violence as an expression of love can be more harmful than helpful.
Themes
