Clay Marble - Themes
The theme of this novel is to never give up. Dara is again and again faced with difficult decisions and
actions throughout the entire novel, but, perhaps by her beliefs in the marble, she never gives up.
War inflicts terrible suffering on innocent civilians, particularly children; love can provide a source of
comfort and courage in horrific times; war can bring out the resilience of the human spirit; hardships
bring about the psychological and spiritual growth of a young girl; the longing for home and family is
universal.
Courage Comes from Within
This is the novel's primary theme, manifesting in and defining the journey of transformation of its central
character and narrator. As previously discussed, protagonist Dara starts her journey, both physical and
spiritual, as a follower rather than a leader. She essentially does what she is told to do - first by her
brother and mother, then by her friends. She finds a sort of courage and independence with the
assistance of Jantu's magic clay marbles, but eventually comes to realize that courage and independence
come from inside and that the marble was, in fact, a catalyst for their emergence. In other words, Dara
comes to believe in herself, in her own capacity for courage and faith, as the result of first believing in an
outside power but then coming to realize that the power, in fact, came from inside, from her own spirit. It
might be worth, in this context, pointing out the similarity between Dara's name and the word "dare". In
any case, there seems to be a degree of irony here, in that Dara only comes to this realization after being
told the truth about what happened by Jantu (i.e., once again being led, rather than independently making
the realization on her own). It could be argued, however, that how she comes to the realization is less
important than the fact she comes to the realization at all. Meanwhile, although Dara's journey is the
primary manifestation of this central theme, other characters also manifest it. This is particularly true of
Jantu who, from her first appearance, has about her a powerful air of self-confidence and courage that is,
perhaps, an even more vivid example of the value of internal courage than Dara, a courage that manifests
most movingly in Jantu's final moments as she faces death with quiet, clear-eyed faith.
The Nature of Family
Several times throughout the novel, Dara refers in narration to her thoughts and/or feelings on the nature
of family. Other characters, particularly Jantu and Nea, do so as well. The essential content of these
references is that the source of a feeling of family is not limited to biological considerations - that is, to
actually being born into a relationship with mother, father, sister, brother, or other relatives. On the
contrary - on several occasions, the narrative suggests that the emotions and bonds that define and
sustain a family are possible to achieve and/or realize as the result of other things, such as shared
circumstances, shared opinions and perspectives, shared responsibilities, shared feelings of affection,
trust, and respect.
Both Dara and Jantu regard their biological families as being essentially destroyed, a situation that
ultimately leads them, along with what remains of their families, to form a bond that doesn't replace their
original families, but comes close to filling the gap of love, safety, and support that the destruction of those
original families left behind. That bond is tested by the extremely difficult circumstances both girls face
and is strengthened by their survival of those circumstances, and extends to other members of their
respective biological families - at one point, Nea calls Dara her sister. Granted, this may be at least in part
because Nea is intending to marry Dara's brother, but there is the sense about the novel that Nea's use of
the word has more to do with their present, rather than their future, connection.
Clay Marble - Themes 1
It's important to note that the novel does not appear to advocate the maintaining and/or construction of
non-biological family bonds over the biological - Dara's relationship with Mother, for example, remains
close and important even while Dara's relationship with Jantu deepens. The novel just seems to be
making the thematic point that bonds of family form in different ways and for different reasons, but in
those ways and for those reasons, they can be just as important.
The Futility and Foolishness of War
In its very premise, portraying the struggles of individuals caught up in the destructive, dangerous
circumstances of a war going on around them, the novel is making a thematic statement about the futility,
the foolishness, and the selfishness of war. Nowhere is this thematic attitude more vividly expressed than
in the almost-last words of Jantu, lying in her hammock as the wound caused by a trigger-happy soldier
ends her life and in Dara's words to Sarun in response to his determination to continue fighting. Jantu and
Dara, like so many of the nameless, homeless, suffering people around them, see themselves as little
more than playthings - as Jantu suggests, pawns in a game they didn't choose to be part of. The validity
of this perspective is supported by the novel's many vignettes, or scenes, of the suffering heedlessly
caused to those caught up in the rages and frustrations of those fighting the war. The bombing of the food
trucks, the children separated from their parents, the needlessly wounded Duoic, the hundreds of people
of all ages in the Nong Chan refugee camp - all are testimonials to the novel's thematic contention that
war is fought by the few with only lip service paid to the well being of the many. Granted, the novel at
times presents other perspectives - the idea that the war is being fought to protect the home country from
invasion, that the way of life of the people is being protected. On the whole, however, the narrative's
thematic contention seems to be that the cost of such efforts at protection is too high; that such violent
efforts at protection of a people may ultimately result in their being no people left to protect.
Clay Marble - Themes 2
