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Chapter 37
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
After 50 seconds of flailing underwater through passages in the cave, Richard fears he’s dying. He realizes he can’t tell which way is up or down. He gets angry at himself and flails, finally breaking through the surface somewhere outside the cave. Jed is nearby and simply comments that Richard took his time. Richard gets angry and says he was drowning. Jed is surprised to hear Richard’s story, since he didn’t realize the cave had any air pockets in it.
Jed doesn’t understand at first what an ordeal Richard went through—in fact, Jed didn’t even realize how dangerous the cave could be. Jed’s inability to see these dangers shows how naïve he is. Like Richard, Jed underestimates the true danger that the natural world poses to himself and the other camp members. It remains to be seen whether Richard’s near-death experience in the cave will cause him to rethink this attitude.
Themes
Jed leads Richard over to the boat that they’ll use to get off the island. It has a Southeast Asian style that reminds Richard of other places he’s traveled. The boat’s engine is in bad shape and Jed doubts they can start it, but as Richard looks at the boat, he notices an on/off switch, secretly flicks it, then impresses Jed by turning the engine on.
Themes
