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Chapter 29
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
Leni convinces Chief Ward to let MJ stay with her in a cell for the time being. While they wait for Tom to arrive, Leni tells MJ about him, and MJ is excited to learn that he has a second grandpa. Immediately afterward, Tom arrives, looking much older. He tells Leni that he shocked she is alive. He asks her why she didn’t come to him for help. Leni tells Tom that she didn’t want to get him in trouble with the law.
Given how much Leni tells MJ about his father and Alaska, it is strange that she waits until now to tell him about Tom. Perhaps she didn’t want to get MJ too excited about people he would never meet. Nonetheless, this is the first of several reunions in the novel’s final chapters. Clearly, the events of the last several years have weighed heavily on Tom, although he remains resilient.
Themes
After briefly catching up, Leni introduces Tom to MJ. Tom gets emotional when he sees his grandson, who looks just like Matthew. Following their reunion, Leni tells Tom that she confessed to hiding Ernt’s body and asks him to look after MJ. Tom immediately agrees and then angrily curses at Chief Ward for locking Leni up. Afterwards, he leaves with MJ.
MJ’s similarities to Matthew are especially striking to Tom because Matthew was mutilated by his accident. MJ, as a representative of new life, reminds Tom of what he’s lost, even as learns what he’s gained.
Themes
Following Tom and MJ’s departure, Leni sits and waits. After some time, a man named Demby Cowe arrives. Demby tells Cora that he is her defense attorney and that she needs to plead not guilty; they will sort out the rest of the details later. Soon after, Leni is sitting in court. As her trial is about to begin, Marge bursts into the court room and starts yelling at the prosecutor and judge for participating in the proceeding. She tells the judge that she has a whole town of people who will come to testify on Leni’s behalf, including Tom Walker. Before things escalate any further, the judge gets a call from the governor, who clears Leni of any charges.
Leni’s legal proceedings are highly irregular. However, Leni is ultimately let off because of the Kaneq community. Though Tom is primarily responsible for getting the charges thrown out, there is no doubt that Marge is telling the truth about the number of people willing to testify on Leni’s behalf. Even though Leni suffered many traumatic experiences in Alaska, she also built up a network of people who would do anything for her.
Themes
Immediately after, Leni leaves the courtroom a free woman. Marge tells her that Tom called the governor and managed to get her charges dismissed. Marge then takes Leni by boat to Kaneq and the two of them catch up. When Leni and Marge arrive in town, Leni notices that Kaneq has continued to develop since she was last there. Eventually, Marge and Leni make their way to the Walker estate, where they reunite with Tom and MJ. Tom introduces Leni to his new wife, Atki, a Native woman.
Although Kaneq is far from a big city, it has continued to move in the direction embraced by Tom but hated by Ernt. As such, the deaths of Ernt and Earl represent the end of an old way of life. Meanwhile, Marge and Tom have moved on and attempted to find happiness in Kaneq.
Themes
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While Atki plays with MJ, Tom and Leni discuss Matthew. Leni wants to see Matthew by herself, so Tom takes her to Geneva’s old cabin in the woods where Matthew is now living. When Leni enters the cabin, she notices it is covered in paintings, one of which says “HER” on it. Leni moves toward Matthew and tries to talk to him. She thinks she sees some of the old Matthew in his eyes, but she quickly gets overwhelmed when he doesn’t seem to recognize her. Not yet prepared for this moment, Leni turns to leave.
Leni doesn’t know how she’ll react when she sees Matthew, which is why she enters the cabin by herself. Although Matthew doesn’t immediately recognize her, she is clearly still in his thoughts, as the painting that says “HER” demonstrates. In addition, it is evident that Matthew has significantly improved since the last time Leni saw him. He is able to paint and has some control over language. These details don’t fully register with Leni until later, but Matthew’s condition is actually much better than what seemed possible earlier in the novel.
Themes
