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
The emetic has successfully caused most of the Institutes’ students to become sick, but the children are too worried about Milligan to celebrate. They signal to Mr. Benedict that Milligan has been captured, and the response is simply, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Constance, frustrated at the coded messages, starts to throw a tantrum, but Reynie sharply tells her to shut up. The children try to solve the riddle, but Reynie is distracted and Sticky and Kate do not share his natural gift for puzzles. They eventually give up for the night after Constance becomes irritable, but Reynie stays awake for most of the night trying in vain to decode the message.
The children’s renewed hope has subsided following Milligan’s capture. They look to Mr. Benedict for guidance, but he can only respond in code. The reality of being alone on a dangerous island settles over the children, and the ensuing fear makes them testy and distracted. Constance, the youngest of the group, starts to react like a small child, but Reynie stops her with uncharacteristic anger. His frustration with the circumstances prevents him from taking his usual leadership role, and the group fails to function.
Themes
The next morning, Reynie has an idea about what Mr. Benedict means. Before he can share his thought with Sticky, S.Q. Pedalian summons the boys to Whisperer duty. Reynie writes a note to himself on his hand, and they go to the Whispering Gallery. Reynie instructs Sticky to resist the Whisperer in order to stretch out the session long enough for Reynie to signal Constance and Kate. Sticky is horrified. He argues that Mr. Curtain will notice his resistance and brainsweep him. Reynie insists this is their only chance, and Sticky becomes angry that Reynie is willing to sacrifice Sticky’s safety. Reynie begs Sticky to trust him.
The strength of the Mysterious Benedict Society’s bond is tested as Reynie asks Sticky to put his own safety at risk. Reynie’s plan requires Sticky to trust him with his life. It also demands that Sticky find the courage buried deep within that Sticky doesn’t believe he possesses.
Themes
The boys go into the Whispering Gallery, passing Martina Crowe on their way in. Reynie is drawn to the Whisperer, but he resists. Mr. Curtain greets them and reveals that Reynie and Sticky will be the last Messengers, as he plans to complete his project at this very moment. Sticky asks if Mr. Curtain still plans to close the Institute, and Mr. Curtain laughs that he does, but he will keep exceptional students like Sticky and Reynie to be Executives. Sticky asks if this means Mr. Curtain really wants him, and Mr. Curtain exclaims that he does. Reynie watches Sticky hopelessly. He doubts that Sticky will be able to resist Mr. Curtain’s invitation and the pull of the Whisperer.
Mr. Curtain’s offer to employ Sticky as an Executive appeals to Sticky’s greatest wish: to be wanted. Reynie knows this, and it weakens his hope that Sticky will come through. Reynie himself is tempted by the Whisperer, so he knows how much willpower Sticky would need to resist.
Themes
Sticky is conflicted. He is ashamed of his tendency to freeze up or run away from his problems, and he knows that he rarely lives up to expectations. This is why he insists on being referred to by his nickname; his real name, George Washington, invites too many expectations. Yet his friends in the Mysterious Benedict Society actually care about him, “quite above and beyond what was expected of him.” This friendship makes Sticky realize there is bravery within him. He steps in front of Reynie and asks to go first with the Whisperer.
Sticky believes himself to be a coward, and he hates his cowardice. But since he also hates expectations, he has indulged his anxiety and avoided situations where people expect things of him. His friends do not see him as a tool to carry out their expectations, and realizing this changes how Sticky sees himself. He discovers that he is not a coward––he is capable of great bravery, and this bravery drives him to trust in Reynie’s plan.
Themes
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Sticky sits at the Whisperer, and when it asks for his name, he answers “Sticky Washington.” It prompts him for his real name, and again he answers with his nickname. Reynie wonders how long Sticky can hold on. Mr. Curtain, who is also attached to the Whisperer, closes his eyes in concentration. Reynie uses this opportunity to rush to the window. Mr. Benedict and his associates promised to watch the island constantly through the telescope, so Reynie waves out the window and presses his hand against the glass. The message he wrote on his palm tells Mr. Benedict that they need Kate and Constance.
Sticky resists the Whisperer by asserting himself for the first time. He has chosen his name, and he refuses to allow the Whisperer to tell him who he is. As Sticky proves his trust in Reynie, Reynie acts on faith in Mr. Benedict. Mr. Benedict promised that they would be watching, so Reynie trusts them and sends them a message.
Themes
