Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Turning, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and Memory
Family, Violence, and Love
Addiction
Belonging and Escape
Regret and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Vic Lang (now a first-person narrator) has moved back to the city with his mother (Carol) after his father (Bob) ran off. Vic is studying law at university; his mother cleans homes for a living, supporting both of them so Vic can focus on his studies. While this makes Vic feel guilty, his mother is a scrupulous cleaner who takes great pride in her work and does not share his view that cleaning other people’s homes—perhaps even the homes of his university classmates—is demeaning. Sometimes Vic helps his mother with jobs, but this only partially makes up for his guilt. Deservedly, she has a great reputation, which is upset by one of her clients’ accusations of theft, claiming that Vic’s mother has stolen her pair of $500 earrings. She is given one week’s notice before being fired.
Moving backward in time, this story depicts Vic as a young adult, between the events of “Abbreviation” and “Damaged Goods.” Vic and his mother respond to the trauma of Vic’s father’s disappearance by committing themselves fully to their studies and work, respectively. While they are both talented at what they do, they also feel an acute sense of not belonging, as Vic struggles to fit in amongst his wealthy classmates, and his mother’s clients mistreat her. While Vic the injustice of their situation bothers Vic, his mother chooses to keep her head down and focus on her work instead.
Themes
Vic and Carol argue for the first time since his father’s disappearance, as he does not think she should continue to clean for her accuser. Vic’s mother, however, insists on finishing the job, and eventually Vic agrees to help her. They continue to bicker in the car as they drive over. Vic suspects that the accusation is false, with the intention of lowering his mother’s wage, as the client has not reported the theft of such allegedly valuable jewelry to the police. Vic’s mother, however, refuses to speculate or confront the problem directly, instead insisting on cleaning the apartment to the best of her ability and leaving it at that: saving her honor.
The rarity of conflict between Vic and his mother sheds light on how they have adapted to life without his father; avoiding fights with each other seems to be a necessity for the two of them to keep going. Now, however, Vic’s sense of justice becomes incompatible with his mother’s work ethic, a personal philosophy that disregards the wrongdoing of others. Ultimately, however, Vic considers it more important to support his mother than to criticize how she copes with mistreatment.
Themes
Vic and Carol arrive at the apartment, located in a wealthy neighborhood near the university that Vic attends. They enter and set to work. Vic’s mother has insisted on bringing her own cleaning supplies to prove a point that Vic does not think the client will even notice. Vic’s mother finds an envelope with her final payment, as well as a note, which she quickly stuffs in her pocket, not showing Vic. As they clean, Vic admires the expensive appliances and décor throughout the house. The client owns two cats, whose litterbox disgusts Vic, but he cleans it anyways. As Vic cleans the study, he notices the client’s books and papers: she is a professor at the university, seemingly teaching in a social justice-oriented discipline. Vic begins to wonder if the client is aware of him; perhaps her not reporting the theft is an act of mercy to a struggling family.
Not only does cleaning the house offend Vic, but it also drives home just how much he and his mother do not belong in her clients’ world. The proximity that this client has to Vic—she teaches at the university where he studies—underscores this. Considering all he does not know about the client and her motives forces Vic to acknowledge the moral complexity of the situation and the limits of his demand for justice.
Themes
Vic asks Carol about the note, but she brushes off his questions. They argue more about what to do about the situation. Vic’s mother makes clear that what matters most is her reputation: if word got out about the alleged theft, she could lose her other jobs, too. Vic, while vacuuming under the bed, suddenly finds the earrings: the client clearly did not even look for them. Vic and his mother agree that they seem cheap, not worth $500, but Vic’s mother reiterates the importance of maintaining her good name. When his mother isn’t looking, Vic throws the earrings in the litterbox. As they prepare to leave, Vic’s mother makes clear she will not take this week’s pay. Vic, who has forgotten the vacuum, goes back to get it; he also fishes the earrings out of the litterbox, wipes them off, and leaves them with the money.
As Carol explains, her willingness to debase herself is not just a self-destructive, demeaning consequence of her work ethic: it’s practical consideration too. Vic, demanding justice above all else, has failed to appreciate this dimension of the situation. Reflecting on his mother’s choices and her reasoning behind them, Vic goes against his own desires, realizing that the right thing to do in this case is not what he feels is right, but what Carol has asked him to, even if he disagrees with her.
Themes
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