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Cats
Throughout the novel, the meals the narrator receives from adults correspond to the degree of care and love that the narrator receives from his caregivers—or the lack thereof. The narrator’s father’s usual offering of burnt toast reflects the narrator’s sense that his parents don’t care about him (he hates burnt toast and his dislike isn’t a secret), as does the way in which his parents cook peas into disgusting mush. At the Hempstock farmhouse, however, every meal that Lettie, Ginnie, or Old Mrs. Hempstock serve the narrator is better and more nourishing than the last. This reflects the degree of care and concern that all three Hempstock women regard the narrator with. Unlike the narrator’s parents, they genuinely care about the narrator and what he has to say, and they demonstrate this care with the food they offer him. And the monster Ursula’s meals, just like Ursula in her human form, are beautiful—but the narrator’s refusal to eat them reflects his fear and distrust of her.
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Food Symbol Timeline in The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The timeline below shows where the symbol Food appears in The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...on Friday nights. The narrator’s father says it’s in the car and offers the narrator toast first. As the narrator’s father toasts bread in the grill, the narrator asks for toast...
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...car, and it’s been found at the bottom of the lane. He hurriedly rescues the toast, puts peanut butter on the burnt side, and leads the narrator out. The narrator doesn’t...
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...exhaust pipe to the window, held in place with mud. The narrator bites into his toast and thinks of how his father always insists that burnt toast is good. When the...
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...more of “them” coming, so the girl should take the narrator to the kitchen for breakfast. The girl introduces herself as Lettie Hempstock, leads the narrator into the kitchen, and gives...
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Chapter 3
...has something to do with the opal miner and then invites the narrator to have breakfast. As they walk, Lettie tells the narrator about the bad things happening to people in...
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...she’s not sure. She assures the narrator that they can fix it after they eat pancakes. When they’re finished, the narrator admits he’s afraid. Lettie insists he’ll be safe and that...
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...arrange her daffodils and feels very important and grown-up. Then, he accepts a lump of honeycomb and eats it with a spoon. Mrs. Hempstock arrives and scolds her mother for giving...
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Chapter 6
...skirt, and he imagines it flapping under an orange sky. He leaves the kitchen without food and returns to his book. His sister joins him to show off a gift from...
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...leave the property without her. The narrator is hungry, but he’s afraid to eat Ursula’s sandwiches because they might contain worms. Instead, he secretly stuffs his pockets with fruit and hides...
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The narrator’s father gets home and they sit down for dinner. Though the meal includes all the narrator’s favorite foods, he eats nothing. He notices that...
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Chapter 7
The narrator reads another book until dinner. As he reads, he vows to run to the Hempstocks’ farm as soon as someone...
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Chapter 9
...a nightgown like he’s seen in book illustrations, he puts it on. Then, they have dinner—the best meal he’s ever tasted.
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Chapter 10
...and then shows him the way to the kitchen. Ginnie directs the narrator to his breakfast and says that Lettie is out gathering supplies to send Ursula home.
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...it’s “dangerous to be a door.” She heads out and the narrator turns to his porridge. Lettie arrives a bit later with a shopping basket, dirty, scratched, and miserable. The narrator...
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Chapter 13
...narrator if he’s hungry and suddenly, he is. In the kitchen, there’s a plate of shepherd’s pie waiting for him. He digs in happily as Lettie and Ginnie discuss what to do...
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Epilogue
...old woman sits down next to the narrator with a cup of tea and a sandwich. As he eats, the narrator studies the woman and asks if she’s Old Mrs. Hempstock....
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