Previous
Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Butcher Boy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Childhood Abuse and Trauma
Poverty and Social Class
Fantasy vs. Delusion
Violence and Control
Friendship and Rejection
Summary
Analysis
Francie talks to Benny’s corpse about the brass band that plays in the chapel yard at Christmas and laughs about the things Annie used to say. He imagines his parents years ago in Bundoran, listening to a song called “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” He imagines Benny holding Annie and telling her that they are the happiest people in the world. In this imagined scenario, Benny sings for Annie and they lay together in bed, thinking about all of the wonderful things in the world.
Everything in this short chapter exists only in Francie’s imagination. It is an idealized version of his parents’ marriage, which is completely divorced from reality. Francie just needs to find something to anchor him, to make him something other than the “pig” the Nugents think he is. Sadly, all he has is his imagination.
Active
Themes
