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
That night, the children are subdued. Now that they know some aspects of Mr. Curtain’s plan, they miss not knowing them. They know that since they’re children, without proof, nobody will take their word over that of an adult. Kate expresses a desire to steal Mr. Curtain’s notebook or, barring that, to take action. Sticky protests that they are doing all they can. They tell Mr. Benedict what they’ve learned, and he responds that there may be a way to restore memories to those who lost them.
The children came to the island to learn about Mr. Curtain, but now that they have, they miss their previous ignorance. They are learning information and facing dangers too horrifying for children. Knowing what they know, they can never return to their youthful innocence; indeed, they can never truly be children again. Still, they must contend with the disadvantages of youth, which means their word against Mr. Curtain’s will count for nothing.
Themes
To calm himself down, Reynie write a mental letter to Miss Perumal. He ponders the fact that Sticky is the only one of the four children to have a memory of family life, and he wonders if it is worse to have felt loved and then rejected, or to always have been alone. He recalls his last night at Mr. Benedict’s. Reynie had asked the older man if he had ever wished for a family, and Mr. Benedict says that he did as a child. Now that he is older, though, he has acquired a family––a family made up of dear friends. Reynie thinks over the people he might one day consider part of his family.
The notion that people can choose their own families opens an opportunity for Reynie to finally quell his lifelong loneliness. For most of Reynie’s life, Miss Perumal was the only person he might consider family, and his continued imagined letters to her show that he still values their connection. Meeting Mr. Benedict and forming the Mysterious Benedict Society have also allowed Reynie to expand his chosen family.
Themes
Reynie starts to cry as he continues thinking about Miss Perumal, and Sticky asks if he is okay. Reynie deflects, moving the conversation to the people who have lost their memories. Sticky wishes they could lay their hands on Mr. Curtain’s journal, and his phrasing of that thought gives Reynie an idea.
Reynie is much more emotionally intelligent than most children his age, but he usually directs that insight towards other people rather than himself. Here, he rejects Sticky’s implicit offer to discuss his feelings and instead redirects both of their attention to the mission.
Themes
