Abandonment

One of the main themes in “Unhooking the Moon” by Gregory Hughes is abandonment. This theme threads its way in and out of the story and touches many of its characters. For one, Bob and Marie Claire lost their mother when they were very young. Although she died and didn’t intentionally leave them, they still felt the profound emptiness of not having her. On his last day of school, Bob watched as mothers of his fellow students came to school to join in the festivities. He silently fantasized how it would feel if he had a mother to attend his school functions.

John is Bob and Marie Clarie’s father. He was a loving father and did as much as he could for his children although he was limited by resources and physical ability. He was weak and frail and suffered from alcoholism. Although he...