87 pages • 2 hours read
Matt de la PeñaThe Living
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Ocean
The ocean is a constant presence in The Living, and in a way it serves as one of the primary antagonists in the book. When Shy witnesses David Williamson’s suicide, he sees David’s body disappear into the ocean as though it never existed at all: “The ocean still whispering, same as before. Like nothing whatsoever has happened, and nothing will” (7). This sight creates a connection in Shy’s mind between the ocean and the fragility and insignificance of human life, and he is haunted from then on by the uncaring vastness of the ocean. The ocean acts as a symbol of Shy’s own mortality and as a stand-in for the universe as a whole; it is not good or bad, it does not care about or even understand Shy’s existence, it simply is. The scale of his life against that of the ocean gives Shy a sense of existential dread, as it forces him to recognize that his death is inevitable. Shy often imagines he can hear the ocean whispering to him, though he never knows what it is saying.
Nightmares
Shai is deeply traumatized after witnessing the violent death of his grandmother from Romero Disease and the suicide of David Williamson. He struggles to cope with the horrible things he has seen, and every time he closes his eyes, tries to sleep, or lets his mind drift, he has flashbacks to the moments of their deaths. He also has nightmares of Bill breaking into his cabin to murder him in his sleep. These nightmares and flashbacks are one of the primary ways that Shy’s trauma manifests, although they cease after he accepts his own mortality and almost dies just before arriving on Jones Island. They represent Shy’s fear of death, his unresolved trauma, and his internalized guilt over all the lives he is unable to save.
The Lucky Engagement Ring
The lucky engagement ring is a seven-carat diamond ring that William Henry originally used to gloat about his wealth to Shy and Carmen on the cruise ship. When it becomes clear that William is going to die from the infected shark bite on his leg, he gives the ring to Shy, presumably with the hopes that Shy will someday give it to the right person. Shy comes to see the ring as a good luck totem, as he catches his first fish shortly after finding it in his pocket. He attempts to give the ring to Shoeshine after he saves Shy’s life, but Shoeshine turns him down. The ring is a symbol of William’s wealth and power, but it is also a reminder that all of William’s money couldn’t make his girlfriend love him. In this way, the ring symbolizes the idea that money and privilege cannot make up for being “the right person” (193), as William puts it.
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By Matt de la Peña
