Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Mysterious Benedict Society, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Confidence and Growing Up
Deception vs. Truth
Loneliness vs. Friendship
Control vs. Freedom
Hope
Summary
Analysis
In class, Jillson lectures about the dangers of “bad government,” and explains that all the current governments in the world are bad. She compares them to poison apples: beautiful on the outside, but deadly within. These governments also shelter wicked officials, which act as poison worms within the poison apples. The comparison catches Reynie’s attention, as he remembers one of the coded messages was “poison apples, poison worms.” He is pondering the significance of this when he suddenly becomes angry. His anger has no source, but it’s directed at everyone he can think of. Reynie looks to his friends and finds that they all look pained and angry, but the rest of the class is unaffected.
Jillson’s lesson applies Mr. Curtain’s strategies for control to other governments. She claims they project an attractive appearance that covers up evil insides, much like Mr. Curtain’s associates and the Institute itself. This lesson instills distrust in any authority besides Mr. Curtain’s.
Themes
The Mysterious Benedict Society convenes to discuss what might be happening to them. Reynie, Kate, and Sticky all agree that they feel angry, but Constance seems to shrink. She nervously asks if the others only feel angry, and if they don’t hear something. She trails off before elaborating. Reynie realizes that Mr. Curtain must be boosting the power, which is causing the children’s minds to react to the hidden messages. He kneels beside Constance and gently prompts her to tell them what she hears, and for once, Constance doesn’t complain. She seems to be fighting back tears as she reveals that she alone can hear the Messenger’s voice.
For the first time, Constance is openly afraid and vulnerable. She is the most immature member of the group, and physically the smallest, but she rarely allows herself to display emotion or seek protection like an ordinary child. Realizing that she is alone in her ability to hear the Messenger’s voice frightens her enough to temporarily pull down her walls. Reynie picks up on Constance’s distress, and he responds to her like the frightened child she is.
Themes
The children are shocked to realize that Constance possesses one of the “exceptionally sensitive minds” Mr. Benedict referred to. Sticky points out that Constance’s ability might be useful, since she can know with certainty when messages are being sent. The broadcasts have paused, so the children are feeling better, and they send a message to the mainland about Constance. Mr. Benedict signals back that they are running out of time, and the children must “become what [they] are not.” The children are confused by what this means.
Constance’s importance starts to become clear. She does not share Reynie or Sticky’s academic intelligence or Kate’s physical prowess, but her sensitivity and love of truth is perhaps the most powerful of all four children. This is another reflection on the nature of truth. Constance has not tried to hide her abilities, but the other children have nonetheless been unable to see them, which is a reminder that people can contain hidden depths.
Themes
