Previous
Chapter 100
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Beach, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Tourism and Authenticity
Power, Control, and Human Nature
War, Violence, and Escapism
Secrecy, Fear, and Paranoia
Summary
Analysis
Richard fears that escape is impossible and all the campers will be killed. One of the guards seems to prepare to shoot Richard first, and Richard gets indignant—if he must die, he’d at least like to see what happens. He suggest the guard to shoot Moshe instead. Instead, the guard kicks Richard in the kidneys.
Even in this moment of real danger, part of Richard remains fascinated by violence—he morbidly wants to be shot last so that he can witness what happens to his companions. Richard’s suggestion to shoot Moshe first shows how this near-death experience brings out his selfish side.
Themes
Richard recognizes one of the guards and tells him he already knows that the guard is missing his front teeth. The boss of the guards recognizes Richard as the boy who comes to see them every day and steals some of their weed crop. They all like him and find him funny. The boss pulls out a map, complaining that maps draw new people, which makes the weed field more dangerous.
After running from his problems and his guilt for a long time, Richard is finally forced to confront his past actions—how he shared the map and how this led to the fates of Zeph and Sammy. Richard learns that simply repressing things isn’t a viable way to go through life.
Themes
A guard hits Richard in the head with a gun. The boss announces that he’s just giving them a warning this time, but he’ll kill them all next time. Richard tries to say something, but the boss just hits him. He is confused and everything blurs.
Richard ends up living through this ordeal not due to bravery but due to sheer luck. This once again undercuts the way that he likes to see himself in an adventure story when he’s around the guards.
Themes
