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
Mr. Curtain looms over the children, outraged that they would betray him after all he has done for them. He laughs at the idea that children would think they could defeat him. He walks back to his chair, but he pauses when he notices Reynie staring at him intently. Reynie remarks, “It isn’t laughter.” He explains that Mr. Benedict is triggered by laughter, and Mr. Curtain isn’t––but Mr. Curtain must be triggered by something. Reynie accuses Mr. Curtain of being afraid of losing control, and being afraid of children, too. This infuriates Mr. Curtain, but as the older man lunges for the children, he falls asleep. Sticky understands what Reynie means: Mr. Curtain’s narcolepsy is triggered by anger. He uses a wheelchair and hides his eyes with reflective glasses to hide his condition.
Mr. Curtain is obsessed with control, and that obsession extends to his own image. His narcolepsy robs him of an element of control over his life, so he hides that element with his wheelchair and sunglasses. Reynie noticing this and working out Mr. Curtain’s emotional trigger highlights the importance of Reynie’s emotional intelligence and instinct for observation.
Themes
Mr. Curtain wakes up, but Constance sends him back to sleep by calling him a fool for trusting Sticky and Reynie. Kate comes in through the window. She is wounded but cheerful, and she tells the others that Milligan is her father. He disappeared years ago because he was captured, and he has left now to get help. Kate ties up Mr. Curtain with her rope, and Reynie approaches the Whisperer. He recalls that Mr. Curtain said the Whisperer is a sensitive machine modeled after his own brain, so Reynie speculates that they might be able to confuse it. He sits in the Whisperer and tries to convince it that he is Mr. Curtain, but the Whisperer knows he is lying and refuses to activate.
The children have subdued Mr. Curtain, but they have yet to dismantle the Whisperer, the key to his plans. Reynie proposes a plan to confuse the Whisperer, but once again, the machine refuses to accept dishonesty from its users.
Themes
Mr. Curtain wakes up and laughs that the Whisperer will only turn on if he is attached to it. Meanwhile, S.Q. radios Mr. Curtain, and when Mr. Curtain doesn’t respond, S.Q. sends for a ladder to come to Mr. Curtain’s aid. Kate warns that Mr. Curtain is trying to trick them, but Reynie insists that he has to try. Sticky points out that if Reynie and Mr. Curtain are in the Whisperer at the same time, Mr. Curtain can brainsweep him. Reynie believes that it is worth trying; he will do his best to resist, and he hopes that he can wear Mr. Curtain out. They sit Mr. Curtain in the Whisperer, but before Reynie can sit down, Mr. Curtain reveals that he has expanded the range of the machine to affect anyone within the room.
S.Q.’s imminent arrival puts a time limit on the Mysterious Benedict Society’s attempts to destroy the Whisperer. This makes them desperate enough to bring Mr. Curtain to the Whisperer, a decision that proves unwise when Mr. Curtain reveals the machine’s hidden capabilities.
Themes
Mr. Curtain starts trying to brainsweep the children. Reynie urges his friends to think of everything they love. He holds onto Miss Perumal, Mr. Benedict, his friends, and his favorite books. Mr. Curtain exclaims that the Whisperer no longer whispers––it shouts. The effect is deafening, and Reynie, Sticky, and Kate are collapsing against the effort of resistance. But when Reynie opens his eyes, he sees Constance has sat in the Whisperer’s seat. He and his friends are stunned.
Reynie and the others resist the Whisperer by thinking of what they love, which speaks to the significance of friendship and connection in the novel. People cannot thrive on their own, the narrative suggests—they depend on other people (and, to a lesser extent, meaningful objects) to define and reaffirm their identities. Constance proves her dedication to her friends by taking the most vulnerable position in the room: the seat of the Whisperer itself.
Themes
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Constance sits in the Whisperer and refuses to give it her name, instead shouting her friends’ names and nicknames. The brainsweeping stops, and Reynie realizes Mr. Curtain is focusing all his power on Constance. She is resisting, and her “gift of stubborn independence” is stronger than anyone else’s. She screams at the Whisperer that she doesn’t care about what it has to offer, and she refuses to yield to its commands. As the minutes pass, though, the effort takes its toll on her, and the other children are unsure of what to do.
Like Reynie, Constance begins resisting the Whisperer by thinking of her friends. Though she doesn’t openly express her love for them, this gesture emphasizes how important the other children are to her. Constance’s resistance is more aggressive than Reynie’s, which forces Mr. Curtain to direct his attention away from the other children to focus on Constance. She has once again proven her worth to them team. Sticky, Kate, and Reynie each have their respective gifts, but they have overlooked Constance’s “gift of stubborn independence.”
Themes
Constance is weakening under the strain of the Whisperer, and though Mr. Curtain is also exhausted, he smugly boasts that he will soon beat the little girl. A boom comes from behind the wall, and Milligan cries out for Kate. He is in a passage with a hidden door, and Reynie realizes that the cowardly Mr. Curtain has hidden a secret emergency exit. Reynie determines which button will reveal the keypad, but when the keypad opens up, the children don’t know the code. Mr. Curtain continues to boast that the children will soon be under his control, and Reynie remembers that Mr. Curtain always says, “control is the key.” They try “control” as the password, and when that fails, they try the Dutch translation, since Mr. Curtain is proud of his home country. The password works, and Mr. Curtain is so frustrated that he falls asleep.
Milligan’s desperation to reach Kate shows that despite his absence in her life, he loves her deeply and wants to protect her. The secret door speaks to Mr. Curtain’s cowardice, and it also highlights his impulse for deceit, as it is yet another feature of the Institute that is not what it appears to be. Mr. Curtain’s fixation on control and deception has become predictable. In fact, Mr. Curtain’s obsession with control is so single-minded that Reynie easily guesses the code.
Themes
The door opens, and Milligan runs in to hug Kate. Reynie and Sticky rush to help Constance, but she is strapped into the Whisperer. As the boys try to free her, Rhonda Kazembe and Number Two come in, followed by Mr. Benedict. Mr. Benedict congratulates the children on doing so well. He kneels besides Constance and loudly informs her that she can stop fighting, and Constance groggily asks what took Mr. Benedict so long. She easily slides her tiny wrists out of the metal cuffs and gets out of the chair. The children are stunned to realize Constance could have gotten free at any time. As she stands, she stumbles, and Mr. Benedict steadies her. He looks her in the eyes, tells her he is proud of her, and thanks her for her efforts. Constance beams.
The adults only reach the Mysterious Benedict Society once the danger is passed, which signifies that the mission has been fundamentally the work of the children. Constance proves her remarkable bravery when she steps away from the Whisperer, revealing that she willingly put herself through torture to defeat Mr. Curtain. She responds to Mr. Benedict’s gratitude and pride with none of her usual snark, instead displaying genuine childlike happiness. This interaction reveals that Constance is far more than a stubborn brat. She is a steadfast and brave child who longs for approval as much as the other members of the Mysterious Benedict Society.
Themes
Milligan lays the sleeping Mr. Curtain on the floor as Rhonda ushers the children to the secret exit and Mr. Benedict takes his brother’s place in the Whisperer. The others, even Number Two, are astounded to realize Mr. Benedict plans to stay behind and disable the machine, even though Mr. Curtain’s agents will certainly kill him. Mr. Benedict asks Milligan to bring Mr. Curtain away from the machine, and he reassures the children and Number Two not to worry about him.
Mr. Benedict values truth, but he hides elements of his plan from even his most trusted associates until the last minute. As the adults usher the children away, leaving Mr. Benedict to finish the last step of the mission, the members of the Mysterious Benedict Society are finally able to be children and look to adults for guidance.
Themes
