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Chapter 10
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Great Alone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and Violence
Paranoia and the Vietnam War
Isolation
Family and Community
Death and Grief
Coming of Age
Summary
Analysis
When Leni and Cora arrive in town, they see their van at the Kicking Moose—the local bar. Before they can make their way to Ernt, Tom Walker and Marge come out of Marge’s store and ask why Leni and Cora are outside in such bad weather. Cora tells them what happened to the animals, and they quickly figure out that Ernt was not home to help. Tom begins moving angrily toward The Kicking Moose, even though Cora begs him to stop. Tom ignores Cora, goes inside, and confronts Ernt. Tom begins yelling at Ernt about keeping his family safe, to which Ernt responds, “You got no right to say anything about keeping a woman safe, do you, Tom?” Enraged, Tom drags Ernt out into the street like a child and throws him into the van.
Though Tom means well, Cora knows that his scolding of Ernt can only end in violence. Even worse, Tom emasculates Ernt and treats him like a child. He is able to drag Ernt around with little trouble, even though Ernt has previously characterized Tom as weak and over-reliant on others. Furthermore, Ernt continues to turn himself into an unsympathetic character by bringing up Geneva’s death in a particularly cruel way.
Themes
Cora and Leni know Tom’s actions have only made things worse. No one talks on the drive home, but Cora and Leni know that Ernt will explode when they arrive at the cabin. Sure enough, before long Ernt is once again abusing Cora. He locks Leni out in the cold and mercilessly beats his wife. When Leni is able to reenter the cabin, she sees blood everywhere and finds Cora with what looks like a broken nose. Leni begins packing up their things and tells Cora to get in the van. She also brings along one of the Allbrights’ emergency bags. She tells Cora that they are leaving Ernt and not coming back. Cora protests, but ultimately acquiesces.
Ernt’s pride is hurt once again and he takes out his anger on Cora, and leaves Leni outside in the cold where predatory animals are likely to show up because of the slaughtered livestock. When Leni is let back inside, she begins to act like more of an adult than the actual adults in her life. She knows her mother can be a pushover and she uses that to her advantage. Unlike Cora, Leni has no problem with leaving Ernt, who she now sees as potentially life-threatening.
Themes
Cora begins the drive toward town. Just past the Walker property, Cora swerves to dodge a moose that is in the road. This causes the bus to swerve off the road and roll into some trees. Leni loses consciousness. When she come to, she sees her mother with a broken arm. Cora tells Leni that she must climb out of the van and go to Tom Walker for help. Cora herself cannot move because of the broken arm. Leni is scared, but eventually does as her mother asks. She climbs out of the van and moves through the cold to find Tom. When Leni arrives at the Walker property, Tom immediately springs into action. He calls Marge on the radio and together the two of them manage to rescue Cora. Tom then takes Cora to the nearest hospital on his boat.
Although she is scared, Leni continues to be the most reliable and capable member of the Allbright family. Similarly, Tom and Marge prove themselves to be the most reliable and capable members of the Kaneq community. Ernt regularly talks about the importance of individualism, but this is the second time where his actions could have killed his family if there wasn’t a community of people willing to step in and help. Ironically, community is more important in rural Alaska than anywhere in the continental United States; throughout The Great Alone, community will prove to be a necessary tool for survival.
Themes
Now at the hospital, Tom comforts Leni while Cora is seen by doctors. They briefly talk about Matthew to take their mind off things. Finally, a doctor informs them that Cora is okay, and that Leni saved her life. When they see Cora, Tom offers to help with Ernt, but Cora refuses his help. She still loves Ernt despite everything and thinks Tom will only make things worse. In the middle of this conversation, Ernt arrives and once again apologizes to Leni and Cora.
While Cora is seen by doctors, Tom acts like the father figure that Leni doesn’t have. Unfortunately, the father figure she does have is not going anywhere; even with a broken arm, Cora refuses to get the police involved or move away. Though Cora remains a sympathetic character, there is an open question as to whether she is acting selfishly. If Cora is okay with putting herself in harm’s way, that is one thing, but her decisions affect Leni as well. However, she also knows that the law is not kind to battered women, and therefore she may not want to risk getting the authorities involved. Meanwhile, Ernt continues to act predictably by showing up and apologizing after everyone else has done the hard work of saving his family.
Themes
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After returning home, Leni suggests to Cora that they leave Alaska. Cora dismisses the idea; they are poor, and she thinks Ernt has changed for good this time. Leni loves her mother but fails to understand how she could be so deeply in denial. After this conversation, Marge and Tom arrive and tell Ernt and Cora to sit down at the table. Ernt protests, but then complies. Marge tells the story of what brought her to Alaska: her ex-brother-in-law beat her sister to death. She left the continental U.S. to try and escape that trauma, but then Ernt arrived. Marge tells Ernt that he is going to spend his winters working on the pipeline; this will allow Ernt to provide for his family and keep him away from them when the weather is bad. In the meantime, Marge plans to stay with Cora and Leni.
By now, Leni’s life is more like an adult’s than a child’s. Her mother may be in denial about Ernt’s behavior, but she refuses to be, and she fears for her mother’s life. Luckily, Marge steps in and solves some of Leni’s problems for her. Marge’s plan is practical because it addresses the Allbrights’ needs without destroying the family. Because their livestock are gone, the Allbrights need food and, whether he likes it or not, Ernt hasn’t properly prepared himself for the Alaskan winter.
Themes
