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
Roscoe has his first child in 1920. Nobody mentions that Benjamin, who now looks like a 10-year-old, is the newborn’s grandfather. Within five years, Roscoe’s son is old enough to play with Benjamin, who looks the exact same age as him. They attend the same kindergarten, where Benjamin takes great pleasure in playing with colorful pieces of paper.
When Benjamin’s parents initially sent him to kindergarten in the first part of his life, he couldn’t muster up any interest in playing with colorful paper. Now, though, he finally sees the appeal. This makes it easy to track the changes in his development, as he goes from the withdrawn attitude of an old man to the earnest enthusiasm of a child.
Themes
Literary Devices
The next year, Roscoe’s son moves on to first grade while Benjamin stays behind, but this doesn’t bother him because he enjoys kindergarten so much. Every once in a while, though, the other children talk about what they want to be when they grow up, and a momentary darkness comes over Benjamin’s expression, as if he faintly recalls that he’ll never again be an adult.
It would undoubtedly be difficult for someone who has lived for so many years to lead the life of a kindergartener. At the same time, though, the story subtly acknowledges that a version of this actually does happen to people as they age, since it’s common to lose certain cognitive abilities in one’s later years. In the same way that elderly people with dementia might occasionally remember the life they used to lead, Benjamin momentarily recalls his past. This, in turn, reminds him that he’s not at the beginning of his life—instead, he’s nearing the end of his life. And yet, this only occurs to him from time to time, suggesting that he has otherwise completely relaxed into the life of a young boy.
Themes
Soon, Benjamin can’t keep up with the other children, often crying because they’re so much bigger than him. Even his kindergarten teacher can’t soothe him, so Roscoe removes him from school. At home, he spends all his time with a nurse, Nana. He passes the time by jumping on the bed, hitting things with a cane from the coatrack, and saying words that Nana teaches him over and over. In the evenings, Nana feeds him mushy foods like oatmeal before he drifts into a pleasant slumber.
As his body and mind get younger and younger, Benjamin’s life comes full circle. When he was an old man, his father tried to force him to drink warm milk, but instead he preferred soft foods like oatmeal. Now that he’s a small child, he once again eats oatmeal. The story thus spotlights the strange similarities between youth and old age. Moreover, this period of Benjamin’s life stands out as a very lonely time. The only person who truly cares for him is Nana, but she only does this because Roscoe hired her. This indicates that nobody in Benjamin’s life cares enough to give him the love and support he needs.
Themes
When Benjamin sleeps, he doesn’t dream of the past. He doesn’t dream about the Spanish-American War or about Hildegarde and the pleasant years of their marriage. Soon, nothing but the present moment occurs to him, and then even that begins to fall away. He cries when he’s hungry and relaxes when he feels Nana’s presence. And then he fades into darkness, nothing registering in his mind at all.
The reverse aging process comes to a completion in this moment, as Benjamin turns into a baby and then fades out of the world. The fact that he no longer remembers anything about his life serves as yet another reminder that his identity is directly linked to his developmental stage: in this part of his life, he’s a baby, so he doesn’t have the cognitive ability to think about anything other than immediate sensations. But this doesn’t mean he’s unhappy—in fact, as far as dying goes, Benjamin’s experience is enviable because it’s totally painless. The story thus spotlights Benjamin’s ignorant bliss, suggesting that sometimes people are happiest (or at their most comfortable) when they simply give themselves over to life—or, in this case, death.
Themes
Literary Devices
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