Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Age, Development, and Identity
Reputation, Gossip, and Scandal
Expectations and Acceptance
Support and Caretaking
Summary
Analysis
In his room at Roscoe’s house, Benjamin looks at his smooth, hairless chin in the mirror and wishes he could join the army again. World War I is just beginning, but the minimum age to join the military is 16, and Benjamin doesn’t look that old. (He would also be ineligible if he were going by his actual age of 57.) But then he receives a letter from the government informing him that reserve officers from the Spanish-American War are being called to duty. Beside himself with excitement, he sneaks off to a tailor to have a uniform made, and then he secretly makes his way to South Carolina, where he’s supposed to command his own brigade.
It seems likely that Benjamin wants to join the army because he misses the authority he used to have when he was a high-ranking official in the Spanish-American War. These days, his own son looks down on him and treats him like nothing but a nuisance, so it makes sense that he would yearn for his former position of power. It’s also possible that Benjamin wants to join the army simply because he has the mind of a teenaged boy, since many teenagers romanticize the idea of leading an adventurous life in the military.
Themes
When Benjamin reaches the military base, the guard on duty won’t let him in. Similarly, a colonel who rides up on a horse won’t listen to him, thinking he’s nothing but a kid—even though, in reality, he’s a general and a decorated veteran. Benjamin barks out orders, but his voice cracks and sounds weak, so he hands over the official letter summoning him to duty. Confused, the colonel takes Benjamin and the letter to headquarters. Two days later, Roscoe arrives to bring Benjamin home.
Benjamin’s attempt to go to war is similar to his previous attempt to attend Yale University. In both cases, he tries to do something that makes perfect sense for his numerical age but makes no sense based on how the rest of the world perceives him. When he tried to go to Yale as an 18-year-old, for instance, he ran into trouble because he looked like an old man. Now, upon trying to go to war, he runs into trouble because he looks like a child masquerading as a soldier. Given that both of these episodes lead to nothing but embarrassment, Benjamin would perhaps be better off if he accepted the constraints of his unique condition. Plus, his actual identity is directly linked to the developmental stage he’s in, so joining the military would only force him to act like someone he’s not.
Themes
