Scar Island

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-9

Chapters 10-13

Chapters 14-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-26

Chapters 27-30

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Authoritarianism

“Authoritarianism” is defined as “the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom” (“authoritarianism.” Oxford Languages). Scar Island delves into the causes, justifications, and results of authoritarian rule.

The Admiral believes he is justified in his authoritarian methods. He believes a cruel approach is needed to reform the boys, who have been spoiled by a permissive society. The Admiral’s stated opposition to reading contrasts the boys’ gravitation towards literature and reading as an alternative to a work-only approach. In fact, the success of Jonathan’s reading group, with the books that the librarian gives him, shows that authoritarianism is not the way to reach the troubled boys.

The Admiral is not the only authoritarian in the novel. Sebastian adopts the Admiral’s authoritarian approach. Like the Admiral, Sebastian does not see his authoritarian tactics as evil but as necessary. He argues his approach is key to upholding Jonathan’s suggestions to staying on the island without the adults, writing letters home, and maintaining a deception for boats that arrive for mail and deliveries. Sebastian’s grasp for power demonstrates the appeal authoritarianism can have to anyone, not just adults in positions of power.

Even though Sebastian gains the boys’ favor by stating “there are no rules” (77), he eventually turns into the tyrannical Admiral. He sleeps in the Admiral’s room, brandishes the Admiral’s sword, eats the Admiral’s chocolates, and even wears the Admiral’s hat. He also adopts the Admiral’s emphasis on work, ordering the boys to fill the coal furnace, meet the mail boat, and perform other work duties. Finally, he resorts to the Admiral’s form of punishment, ordering boys who step out of line to kneel on the Sinner’s Sorrow. Sebastian’s actions show that even someone who appears to support freedom can end up embracing authoritarian rule.

In addition, the story illustrates how authoritarianism leads to resentment and rebellion. When lightning kills all the adults, instead of reporting the deaths to the authorities, the boys decide they have had enough of the adults’ rigid rule and seize the chance to live on their own with no rules. They hide the adults in the freezer and declare anarchy. Of course, they soon discover it is not possible to live without rules. When Sebastian becomes authoritarian, Colin, who suggested the boys hold an election, leads the rebellion. He destroys the Sinner’s Sorrow and leaves the group, illustrating the resistance authoritarianism faithfully inspires.

Power Struggle

At the heart of the story is a struggle for power between two characters who are too young and troubled to know how to use it. The dynamics of power struggle are explored, from development of alliances to the events that shift advantage to one side or the other. At first, Jonathan and Sebastian are willing to work together and share leadership.

However, the struggle between the two begins when Sebastian declares himself the leader. Sebastian seizes power easily because Jonathan is too immersed in maintaining the secret behind why he was sent to the school. When Sebastian announces that he is in charge and shoots down Colin’s suggestion of an election, Jonathan turns to Colin and reassuringly tells him to leave it be. Sebastian attracts followers with his speech in which he declares that “there are no rules” (77) and that the boys are scars, and “scars are tough” (78).

Nevertheless, Jonathan shows himself to be the better planner and tactician. He devises the plan to hide the adult bodies in the freezer. He also suggests that the boys should continue to write letters home every day to avoid raising suspicion. Jonathan comes to the rescue again when the pilot of the supply boat asks for the food order for the next week, which the boys forgot to prepare. Jonathan tells the pilot that the Admiral is sick and will mail the order later in the week.

Jonathan gains allies as the boys start to resent Sebastian’s authoritarian approach and his broken no-rules promise. However, when Benny reveals Jonathan’s secret, he tells only part of the story about the fire that killed his sister to the group. Benny tells the boys that Jonathan is an arsonist and a murderer. The revelation that there is a murderer in their midst repulses them. Jonathan quickly loses allies as the other boys shun him, shifting the power dynamic back into Sebastian’s favor.

The struggle for power begins to fizzle as Jonathan starts to regain the respect of the other boys when he exhibits bravery in rescuing Colin. However, when he returns from the library and tries to persuade the other boys to seek refuge in the lighthouse, he still faces opposition. Benny reminds the other boys that Jonathan can’t be trusted because of what he did. Jonathan finds true power in his vulnerability as he tells what really happened the night his sister died, and the boys realize that he is not a murderer. Unlike Sebastian’s aggressive approach copied from the Admiral, Jonathan gains power by speaking to his feelings and his tragic past.

Jonathan owns his past and his guilt, and the freedom this provides fuels his determination to save the boys from the storm. He becomes the leader as the boys follow him to the lighthouse, where Sebastian realizes the power behind sharing his own past as well. In their revelations, the power struggle is no more as the group works together to signal their presence on the island by taking turns in rotating the lighthouse mirrors.

Redemption

Redemption serves as a central theme in the novel for Jonathan’s character development. As Jonathan is consistently hounded by his feeling of guilt, his redemption always remains a possibility. Those without a conscience, like the Admiral, cannot be redeemed. For Jonathan Grisby, his guilt over the death of his sister is so intense that he must forgive himself before he receives redemption. Thus, he is mostly in need of self-redemption, although he also redeems himself in the eyes of the other boys at the end of the novel.

When Jonathan arrives at the school, he is deemed to be the worst of the bad boys of Slabhenge Reformatory. “This is a terrible crime you’ve committed, Jonathan Grisby” (10), the Admiral says when Jonathan first arrives at the school. Jonathan does not disagree with that dark assessment. In fact, he repeatedly states how deserving he is of severe punishment. In his first letter home, he writes, “This place is as terrible as I deserve” (13). The other boys dread the Sinner’s Sorrow, a sharp-edged punishment contraption that is more like a torture device. In contrast, Jonathan feels so guilty about his sin that he voluntarily kneels on it.

Throughout much of the novel, Jonathan’s crime is not revealed. It is only once his crime is fully revealed that he achieves redemption. Jonathan attempts to conceal his past from the other boys because he is so ashamed of it. His shame leads to Benny’s declaration that Jonathan is a murderer and arsonist, removing the narrative from his control. He regains control and achieves redemption not only by revealing his past, but by saving Colin’s life like he tried to save his sister’s.

Jonathan’s decision to save Colin is motivated by his friendship with Colin and his desire to redeem himself as well. When he dives into the dark water to try to untie Colin, he thinks about his sister Sophia at the time and confuses his pronouns for Colin with his sister’s, reliving his past attempt to save his sibling. He was unable to save her from the fire, but he sees a chance to redeem himself by saving someone else he cares about.

Jonathan’s redemption is not complete until he decides to divulge his secret. When he finally decides to bring the whole story of his sister’s death out into the open, it has a healing effect. As it turns out, Jonathan did not start the fire that killed his sister. However, he realized that his habit of starting fires in trashcans influenced his sister. His acceptance of responsibility for the bad example he set for his younger sister is a necessary component of his redemption. He is not a murderer, but he must live with the fact that his actions have an impact on others.