Childhood
The first book in the series depicts the three heroes as they fight against the unfortunate events and evils of the world. Despite their cleverness, they are still three children left to fend for themselves. The adults in their lives seem to fail them, from Mr. Poe refusing to help them out of Count Olaf’s house, to Justice Strauss inability to see the danger they are in and the scheming of Count Olaf. The book depicts the theme of childhood, helplessness and weakness of children who are easily defeated by the adult world.
Evil
The novel depicts the theme of evil in the literal sense. Count Olaf is a representation of true evil without any moral code and motivated by greed only. He doesn’t stop at anything to get the heritage of the Baudelaire orphans, threatening their safety and lives.
Storytelling and language
The novel's interesting aspect is that it entails authorial intrusion. The writer is the narrator and stops the flow of the story to directly talk to the readers, warning them of the tragic events they are about to read concerning the fate of the three orphans. While telling the story the narrator discusses the storytelling itself. Language is also an important part of the novel. Aside from the story, the narrator explains the meaning of various, possibly unknown, phrases and words to the children reading the novel.
