Self-sacrifice and bitter feelings
Sean knew that it would never be easy to take care about his brother, earn money, help the people of Bone Gap and put up with an idea that he has to forget about his own needs, wishes and dreams for the following five or even more years. He starts believing that happiness is not for him, that he can manage without it, but what he can’t do is to suppress his bitter disappointment in his mother, himself, Finn and even Roza. As soon as he realizes that there is no more need to sacrifice, that Finn is not a helpless toddler and Roza actually loves him, he lets himself enjoy his life and learns how to trust people.
The community and its rules
It is impossible not to notice that the author uses the phrase “the people of Bone Gap” a lot. The people of Bone Gap this, the people of Bone Gap that. It is done to help those readers, who live in contemporary metropolises, to understand how it feels to live in a little community in which everyone knows everything about his/ her neighbors. Every society has its own rules which are dangerous to break. When the people of Bone Gap decide that Finn mistreats Petey, they take it upon themselves to teach him a lesson. On the one hand, it is good that the people are not indifferent to their neighbors, but the methods they choose to punish Finn are rather strange. Not to mention that Finn has never mistreated Petey. It is important not to submit to mass hysteria and recheck every fact before taking actions. One more interesting thing about the people of Bone Gap – and people of any other little town – is that they don’t like change their minds. They have decided that Finn is strange many years ago and continue to believe in it. This theme shows how important it is to be flexible and open-minded.
Love and obsession
What is the difference between love and obsession? Love doesn’t deprive a person of freedom, but obsession does. When Sean finds out that Roza has left them, he continues to live just like he did before her. Of course, his life without Roza is emptier, but if she is happier without him, Sean can manage. This is love as it is. The Scare Crow doesn’t love Roza, he is obsessed with her, to be more precise, he is obsessed with her beauty. As soon as she destroys it, he doesn’t need her anymore. This theme shows that genuine love might have nothing to do with physical attraction.
