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Chapter 5
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 the Allbrights arrive home from the Walker party, Cora and Ernt are “all over each other, making out like teenagers, banging into walls, pressing their bodies together.” Wanting to get as far away from her parents as possible, Leni scrambles up to the loft where she begins reading the poetry of Robert Service. As Leni reads, she wonders whether Matthew will still want to be friends. The next morning, Leni wakes up and helps her father with some manual labor. Ernt tries to badmouth Tom Walker, so Leni lies to him and says that Tom told her that he thinks Ernt is a war hero who has been treated unfairly. Leni also tells her father that she thinks he should quit drinking. Afterwards, there’s a moment of silence, but eventually Ernt agrees with her.
The size of the Allbright cabin means that Leni hears and sees more of her parents’ relationship than she would ever want to. Throughout the novel, whenever Cora and Ernt engage in sexual activity, Leni is treated as an afterthought, and they do not seem embarrassed or self-conscious about her presence, though Leni herself is clearly uncomfortable. However, Leni is able to distract herself by reading, this time with the poems of Robert Service. Among many other works, Service wrote a poem titled “The Shooting of Dan McGrew,” which refers to rural Alaska as “The Great Alone.” The phrase works well as the title of the novel because it simultaneously captures the magnificence and isolation of Kaneq. Ironically, in this moment Leni feels isolated from people her age, yet way too close to her parents. Additionally, Leni is becoming bolder when lying to Ernt. Previously, she felt uncomfortable withholding information from him, but now she tells an overt lie without thinking.
Themes
One hour later, Leni is in school. Because Ms. Rhodes could not make it in today, Geneva Walker, Matthew’s mother, is teaching class. Geneva takes the children on a field trip to Eaglet cove. To get there, the children must pair up and ride in canoes. Geneva pairs Leni with Matthew, much to Leni’s dismay. She had spent much of the day ignoring Matthew because she is ashamed of what her father said the night before. Matthew is confused by Leni’s behavior and decides to confront her about it directly. Leni explains herself and apologizes, but Matthew says there is nothing to be sorry about. He hears similar things all the time, particularly from Earl, and he does not hold Leni accountable for her father’s actions. Leni is overjoyed by Matthew’s attitude and the two swear to remain friends no matter what.
Leni’s behavior toward Matthew speaks to her relative immaturity. Rather than talk to Matthew about what happened, she chooses to ignore him, which only makes things worse. Luckily, Matthew’s behavior is the inverse of Leni’s—making him quite mature for his age—and he makes sure the two of them stay friends. Matthew’s attitude toward Leni speaks to a broader conception of individualism that is present in the Kaneq community. In Kaneq, most people judge others by their actions, not the actions of their friends and family.
Themes
At the end of the day, Leni returns home and tells her parents about her school day. Later, the family goes out into the woods together so Ernt can teach Leni and Cora how to shoot. Before he can complete his instructions, Leni accidently fires her rifle, and the kick of the gun makes her smash the scope into her eye. This incident is incredibly painful, and Leni begins crying. Although Cora moves to comfort her child, Ernt takes a tough love approach and tells her to stand back up and stop crying. When Cora protests, Ernt gives a speech about how Leni needs to be able to defend herself if she wants to survive the winter. When her father is finished talking, Leni stops crying, stands back up, and tries again. Although the gun makes her nervous, she fires off a second shot and hits her target.
Though Ernt’s parenting has been questionable up to this point in the novel, the tough love approach he takes here proves to be effective. Though there is a question about where such behavior will lead, there is no doubt that a certain degree of toughness and perseverance is required of both men and women who hope to survive in Kaneq. Leni’s determination to shoot successfully, despite her initial mishap, also shows that she’s growing up and getting tougher.
Themes
