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Chapter 79
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
Richard goes to the clearing and finds Françoise, Étienne, and Keaty arguing again. Keaty, playing Game Boy, thinks it’s good that Karl can still take water, but Étienne insists that it’s still urgent to get Karl to the mainland. Richard tries to calm everyone down. He tells them to remember Sal’s speech, but Étienne storms off, saying he’s done with Sal and that Richard is no longer the person he once knew.
Étienne’s desire to take Karl to the mainland suggests that he has begun to see the limits of beach life and the need for the outside world. His revelation seems to be motivated in part by seeing Richard kiss Françoise, which seemed to change Étienne’s attitude toward the beach.
Active
Themes
When Keaty and Richard are alone, Richard asks Keaty how he feels about having to do a Rice Run with Bugs. Keaty seems relaxed and tells Richard he just wants to do a good job. Richard goes to check on Jed, who is asleep, and Christo, who surprisingly is awake and even seems to recognize Richard. Christo says he feels very ill and sees stars and phosphorescence. Richard promises Christo that everything will soon be fine.
Active
Themes
