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
Jared cuts his hair in a crew cut, the way Richie wears it. He then goes into the living room and sits with Richie, who is watching football. They talk about how Jared got beaten up at Powder House, and Richie mentions that Jared’s mom wants Jared to carry a gun. Jared says that he likes his feet without bullet holes and is shocked when his joke makes Richie laugh. Richie tells Jared seriously that he has to get revenge, or whoever hit him will do it again. Then, they drink beers and watch the game, and Richie is a little nicer to him in the following days.
Here, Jared takes Nana Sophia’s advice, trying to show Richie respect (by emulating his haircut and watching football) so that Richie will be nicer to him. But the very fact that Jared has to do this with someone who lives with him speaks to the persistent threat of violence in his life, even from his mom’s boyfriend.
Themes
That weekend, Jared’s mom wakes Jared up early to go to a friend’s hunting cabin. Jared complains that it’s cold, but she punches his shoulder, and he unwillingly changes into a new snowsuit that she gives him. Outside, Richie is sitting in a new monster truck loaded with two matching snowmobiles. Jared hopes that the truck isn’t stolen, knowing his mom could get into deep trouble—but his mom assures him that someone owed them a debt, so they traded for it. Jared wonders if the person traded it willingly.
Jared’s mom continues to use violence to try to toughen Jared up, but it comes across as threatening and unsettling to him. This is particularly evident in the fact that Jared wonders if his mom got the snowmobiles and truck by force—he knows that at any moment, she could turn violent. Jared’s worries about his mother getting into trouble also illustrate his responsibility in the family, as he takes it upon himself to make sure that his mom doesn’t act recklessly.
Themes
Richie drives the truck and the snowmobiles to the hunting cabin, and Jared feels himself going numb in the cold. Inside the cabin, Jared’s mom starts a fire while Richie shows Jared how to load, maintain, and shoot a revolver. Jared reluctantly recites the names of the parts and tentatively loads the gun. In the afternoon, they shoot at a tree until it falls over. Jared makes a snide remark about hunting for a Christmas tree, and Richie asks how Jared can be grumpy on a day like this. Jared’s mom chimes in to say that grenades always cheer her up.
Jared’s view of guns and hunting parallels his view of violence in his relationships. Richie and Jared’s mom view the guns as necessary protection for Jared (and thus, teaching him to use them is their way of expressing love and protecting him). Jared, on the other hand, is very uncomfortable at the thought of hurting others, even to protect himself—just as he finds violent expressions of love confusing and uncomfortable.
Themes
On Monday, Jared’s mom sells the truck and the snowmobiles to pay off the remainder of their mortgage. They buy pizza and beers to celebrate, and Jared’s mom pulls him into a snuggle on the couch, though Jared protests that it’s weird for her to do that. She tells him that he lived in her uterus and came out of her vagina, and Jared gets even more grossed out. She tells him to always use condoms, reminding him that she was his age when she had him and she doesn’t want grandkids yet—but she doesn’t regret him.
Jared’s mother's lessons in responsibility come as a result of not wanting Jared to repeat her mistakes, like having a child very young. This is how Jared has learned a lot of lessons through his life, taking it upon himself to be more responsible than his parents. This again suggests that children in dysfunctional families grow up more quickly—in this case, by learning from their parents’ mistakes.
Themes
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When Jared reminds his mom that Anita doesn’t like him, Jared’s mom says that Anita was messed up by nuns who thought everything Native was evil. Jared asks why Anita thought he was a Trickster. Jared’s mom doesn’t respond, but she pulls him close to her and says that his dad is dead to her, and that the blood in his veins is only hers. His dad screwed them over, and her mom screwed them over, so they should forget about them. She tells Jared that he has a big heart, but people will take advantage of it.
Jared’s mom again hints at the fact that she views Jared’s kindness and care for others as a weakness, because others will take advantage of him. This is why she uses violence to toughen him up—but as the hunting trip illustrated, Jared dislikes violent and would rather be able to trust the adults in his life. Additionally, Jared’s mom’s deflection from their family history hints at the fact that she’s hiding the full extent of their family’s involvement with tricksters like Wee’git.
Themes
