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Chapter 26
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Tiger Rising, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom and Consequences
Emotion, Repression, and Healing
Friendship and Support
Good, Evil, and Balance
Religion, Beauty, and Wonder
Summary
Analysis
At the cage, Rob is shocked by how easily the three padlocks open. Sistine lays them all on the ground and tells Rob to open the door. She insists the tiger won’t harm them because it’ll be so thankful it’s free. He opens the door, but the tiger just continues to pace. Sistine and Rob leap on the fence, shaking it and yelling. Rob is suddenly extremely angry, and he shouts at the stormy sky. Then, Sistine tells him to stop: the tiger is leaving. He steps out of the cage, stares briefly at the children, and races away. To Rob, it looks like the sun. He can hear his heart beating in time with the tiger’s steps.
Freeing the tiger provides Rob a much-needed emotional release, as evidenced by his loss of control as he shakes the fence and shouts. When the tiger finally leaves the cage, it’s significant that Rob likens him to the sun—which Rob hasn’t seen or been willing to appreciate, given that the sun was shining at his mother’s funeral. By letting the tiger go and being able to appreciate its beauty, Rob seems to let go of some of his grief and gain some appreciation for the beauty the world holds—even if his beloved mother is also gone.
Active
Themes
