Crispin and the Cross of Lead Theme
Crispin and the Cross of Lead is a book about a young boy named Crispin who, after his mother's death, is declared a wolf's head, meaning anyone can kill him. Crispin runs away to save himself and also to figure out the mysteries his mother lived. Along the way he meets a juggler named Bear, and together they go to try and kill the man who declared him a wolf's head. Like all books, this one has a theme. The theme is: In the midst of death, there is life. This has a meaning very similar to the saying, When one door closes, another door opens. It means that there is always some good, even when life hits you hard. This phrase is mentioned a few times in the book.
The phrase is first mentioned at the very beginning …show more content…
It says: “Crispin, . . . in that place they had me, I heard chants coming from the cathedral. The priests were singing, 'Media vita in morte summas,' which means 'In the misdt of life there is death. But, Crispin,” he said, “can't you see the new truth we've made? In the midst of death there's life!” By him saying “Can't you see the new truth we've made,” means that he knows that on his and Crispin's journey, they have proved that this is true.
In this last point, the book doesn't outright state the phrase, but it does describe how Crispin lived by it. After Bear gets captured, Crispin does some thinking. The quote from the book is: How odd, I thought: it had taken my mother’s death, Father Quinel’s murder, and the desire of others to kill me to claim a life of my own. This is the example of When one door closes, another door opens. Crispin went through a lot of tough times thinking there was no good in it, but eventually he “claimed a life of his own.” This is the second door.
Like all books, Crispin and the Cross of Lead probably has more than one theme. But one of them that the author wants the reader to see very plainly is In the midst of death, there is