Friendship
Friendship is one of the most important and pervasive themes in "B. Wordsworth." The bulk of the short story focuses on the friendship of B. Wordsworth and the young boy. At the start of the short story, the duo's friendship begins and grows strong. However, by the end of the story, the two are not on speaking terms and their friendship is destroyed. This short story is the story of a friendship: how one is created and how one is destroyed.
Coming-of-age
At its core, "B. Wordsworth" is a coming of-age-story. At the start of "B. Wordsworth," the boy (who is the protagonist and main character of the story) is young and naive. He trusts seemingly everyone that comes into his life no matter how untrustworthy they really are. As the short story progresses, the boy comes of age. And with his age, the boy gains tremendous wisdom and insight, so much so that he realized that he no longer wanted or needed his relationship with B. Wordsworth.
Curiosity
A significant theme in "B. Wordsworth" is curiosity. The start of B. Wordsworth and the boy's friendship is because of Mr. Wordsworth's curiosity to see the boy's bees. Beyond that, the boy grows curios about Wordsworth's life and career in poetry. Similarly, the poet is tremendously curious about the boy, his family, and life in general. It is because of curiosity that both people grow older and wiser; it is also because of curiosity that conflict erupts in the short story.
