Themes and Motifs

Themes

• Gothic Novel - The Fifth Child would be considered a Gothic novel because of its suspense, mysterious, and supernatural doings. For instance, Ben would be considered supernatural because he is so strong at such a young age.
• Childhood Development- This novel would have a theme of childhood development because it shows us the growth of David's and Harriet's children. Particularly it focuses on Ben but it also shows us how the other kids were raised.
• Nuclear Family- This would be an important theme because Harriet and David wanted a nuclear family - them two with a lot of kids-. If kept focusing on how their strive to be a nuclear family ultimately leads to the break down in their family relationships due to Ben.
• Difficulties of Pregnancy- Throughout the novel they always mentioned something about Harriet's pregnancies. She faced the most difficulties when she was pregnant with Ben.
• Treatment of Disabled Children- In the novel both Amy and Ben are treated as if they are monsters just because they weren't normal teenagers. They show us how Amy and Ben are mistreated by their relatives because of their genetic disorders or problems.

Motifs

• Paranoia - Throughout the novel Harriet seems to be paranoid because of Ben. She doesn't want to accept the fact that he is normal in a different society other then theirs.
• Perfection- David and Harriet ultimately always strive for a perfect family. No matter how much they tried they were always drifted away by Ben because David would not accept the fact that he is his son.