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Chapter 51
Themes
and Colors
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
Keaty says he feels bad that his getting transferred to fishing duty means that Richard got transferred off. Richard tries to reassure him that the change probably has more to do with Sal trying to continue to keep Jed happy. Richard supposes that working with Jed would be his second choice and he’s curious to know what Jed does during the day on his missions.
In a community as small as the beach camp, small changes like Richard being reassigned work duties can have a major impact on the overall dynamic. The novel captures how creating an ideal society is difficult precisely because of what an enormous impact small changes can have on a human society.
Active
Themes
Jesse comes up to Keaty and Richard and says he heard Richard was reassigned and commiserates with him. After, Keaty says Richard would probably get along with Jesse and Cassie, who are a couple, and who both dislike Bugs.
Active
Themes
