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
Mr. Button names his son Benjamin and does everything he can to make him look less old and decrepit. He cuts and dyes Benjamin’s hair, trims his beard, and even dyes his eyebrows. But none of this makes Mr. Button any less disappointed in his first and only son. Still, he insists on treating Benjamin like a child and tries to make him drink warm milk—something Benjamin hates. So, Mr. Button relents and lets him eat soft foods like oatmeal. He also brings him a baby rattle, which Benjamin dutifully plays with, though only to make his father happy. What he’d really like to do is smoke cigars and read the Encyclopedia Britannica, but Mr. Button discourages this behavior.
Mr. Button’s insistence on treating Benjamin like a child has to do with his high expectations for his son. After all, Mr. Button had a clear idea of the path he wanted Benjamin to take before he even met him, fantasizing about how his son would follow in his footsteps by attending Yale. Given that he formed these expectations before Benjamin was even alive, it’s perhaps unsurprising that he doesn’t want to let go of the vision he originally had for how Benjamin’s childhood should go. Unfortunately, though, this puts Benjamin in a difficult position, since he doesn’t actually want to do any of the boyish things his father forces him to do. And this, in turn, reveals an important aspect of Benjamin’s condition: he doesn’t just look like an old man, he also feels and acts like one. To make him behave otherwise, then, is to make him be somebody he’s not.
Themes
If it weren’t for the beginning of the Civil War, the news of Benjamin’s condition would surely ruin the Button family’s status in society. Thankfully, though, the war draws attention away from the matter. And yet, friends of the family still find themselves having to come up with something graceful to say about the situation.
The importance of reputation in 1860s Baltimore is apparent in this section, as the Buttons narrowly escape social ruin because the Civil War distracts everyone in their community. But this also suggests that although the Buttons clearly live in a society that relishes drama, even the juiciest, most startling stories will likely fade to the background when something bigger and more pressing happens.
Themes
Literary Devices
Many people point out that Benjamin resembles his grandfather. This infuriates his grandfather at first, but soon he and Benjamin grow quite close, enjoying each other’s company as they sit and talk about the slow, tedious aspects of daily life. When Benjamin isn’t doing this, he goes out of his way to break something each day, knowing this boyish behavior delights his father.
Benjamin’s behavior suggests that his personality syncs up with whatever developmental stage he’s currently in. He has the mind and body of an old man, so he has the identity of an old man, too. This makes for some light humor in the story, as Benjamin is basically a caricature of old age. Conversely, Benjamin only acts like a little boy in order to please Mr. Button, hinting at the unfortunate fact that his father’s expectations make it difficult for him to simply be himself.
Themes
Benjamin goes to kindergarten, but because he keeps dozing off while the other children make art out of colorful paper, his teacher complains and has him removed from school. To save face in society, his parents tell their friends that they decided Benjamin was too young for kindergarten.
It’s obvious that Benjamin isn’t too young for kindergarten, since he has the mind, body, and personality of an elderly man. But his parents tell their friends this anyway, demonstrating how eager they are to act like everything about their family is normal—yet another illustration of how much they care about status and reputation. This is also one of the first times that Benjamin finds himself caught between his father’s expectation that he act like his numerical age and society’s unwillingness to accept him as such.
Themes
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Shortly after his 12th birthday, Benjamin looks in the mirror and realizes the roots of his hair aren’t as white as they used to be. His wrinkles are also beginning to smooth over, and he looks stronger and healthier. Feeling grown up, he tells his father he’d like to wear long pants, but Mr. Button says long pants are for boys 14 and older. When Benjamin argues that he’s big for his age, his father falsely claims that he himself was the same size when he was 12. But after much debate, Mr. Button agrees to let Benjamin wear long pants—on the condition that he play with children his own age, stop wearing glasses, and stop using a cane.
Once again, Mr. Button tries to force Benjamin into acting like someone he’s not. Even though it’s clear that Benjamin has the personality of an old man, his father goes to great lengths to ignore this fact. He’s so intent on treating Benjamin like an average little boy that he deludes himself by saying that he was just as big as Benjamin when he was 12—an obvious lie, considering that Benjamin has an adult body. Nonetheless, Mr. Button continues to force his expectations on Benjamin, regardless of whether or not they actually make sense for his son.
Themes
