Watching

Overall, the theme of watching is highly ironic, as Thea is surrounded by people who judge and criticize her, but she does not have someone in her life who is willing to guide her and help her make decisions.

Thea is the narrator of the novel and therefore a "watcher" herself, but her isolated childhood condition and her time at a secluded school also make her a subject that is constantly observed by others. Watching often takes a negative connotation, and speaks to the way that Thea's actions are criticized by those watching her.

During her childhood, Thea is free to roam her family's land alongside her brother Sam. There is little supervision and there is no sense that Thea is being watched here. Yet, as she begins her adolescence, Thea starts to notice the ways in which she is constantly being observed.

As a student...