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Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Orbiting Jupiter, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Parenthood
Adolescence and Responsibility
Prejudice
Trauma and Trust
Friendship and Love
Summary
Analysis
On Joseph’s 16th birthday, Mrs. Stroud drives Jupiter to the Hurds’ farm. She takes Jupiter out, and Jupiter, dark-haired and dark-eyed, smiles as she examines her surroundings. Jupiter looks at Mr. Hurd and Mrs. Hurd—her new parents. They kneel. Mrs. Stroud introduces Jack to Jupiter as her “new brother.” When Jack kneels, too, Jupiter pulls his ears and says, “Jackie.” Jack takes her hand, shows her the cows and the horse, and brings her back to the yard. He lifts her into the air and promises he’ll always “know where” she is. Then he carries her into the house.
This passage makes explicit that the Hurds were trying to adopt Jupiter so Joseph could have a relationship with his daughter without taking full adult responsibility for her—and that they went through with the adoption even after Joseph’s death out of love for him. Jupiter’s physical resemblance to Joseph and her calling Jack “Jackie”—which Joseph also did—emphasizes her familial connection to the dead Joseph and the Hurds’ desire to honor Joseph through adopting her.
Themes
