The theme of murder
At West Point, murder is a common scenario because the cadets live under harsh conditions that force some of them to commit suicide. One day, the cadets wake up and find their colleague dead. The authority at West Point decides to recruit a private investigator after realizing that an unknown person has removed the corpse's heart. The circumstances that drive murders and suicide at the camp are sometimes unclear. Therefore, most cadets live in fear because they do not know whether they will be the next victims of murder or suicide. The author uses this theme to communicate with readers and enlighten them about the harsh conditions that cadets go through before they come out of the training.
The theme of friendship
The theme of friendship is evident in the book, especially when West Point recruits Landor to investigate the cause of the mysterious deaths of the cadets. Landor starts his job by questioning several cadets before focusing on the surrounding environment. One of the cadets that Landor finds interesting to work with is Edgar Allen Poe. At first, Landor maintains a professional relationship with Edgar, but with time, they become very close and share a lot while executing their duty to uncover the cause of the mysterious deaths affecting the cadets at West Point. Consequently, Bayard emphasizes that friendship does not necessarily interfere with professionalism because Edgar and Landor work as friends until they discover that Marquis Family is responsible for the death of the cadet whose heart was missing from the corpse.
Alcohol addiction
Alcoholism is another strong theme that Bayard explores in the novel The Pale Blue Eye. The primary focus is on Edgar, one of the intelligent cadets whose alcoholic addiction threatens to kill his career. When Landor works with Edgar, he realizes that Edgar is a helpful and intelligent young promising man. However, Edgar drinks most of the time, hindering his judgment in most scenarios. Luckily, Landor optimizes Edgar’s energy and intelligence to accomplish his primary investigative vision.
