Emotional Detachment

The central theme of the novel is Emotional Detachment. The journey that Jesse’s character takes is defined by his progression from someone who is closed off to his own emotions to someone who is able to connect with others on an emotional level.

Jesse had to work hard during the novel to maintain his level of emotional detachment. Early on, he explained in the narration that the main reason he kept himself so busy with different jobs and schemes was because it prevented him from having time to think. He needed to consciously stop himself from having emotional thoughts in order to carry on functioning. Initially, the emotions that did break through the barriers that Jesse had built did so in a dysfunctional way. Jesse didn’t allow his emotional detachment to stop him from sympathizing with Joey and helping her when her mom...