Theme Analysis
Theme: Identity (Sydney)
The major theme in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is identity. Identity in literature is who a character is or whom they become. Finding an identity is consistent throughout this book with not only the main character Percy Jackson but also his companions Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood. Throughout this section, I will examine this novel to present identity through the lenses of the characters and the role that identity plays.
To start, the audience is introduced to Annabeth Chase when Percy and Grover are being chased by the Minotaur as they near Half-Blood Hill. Percy defeats the minotaur but falls unconscious and is taken to the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. Here, Annabeth watches over Percy and he hears the dialogue of “He’s the one. He must be.” (Riordan 56) Percy also describes Annabeth as “a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess’s.” (Riordan 56) When Percy describes her in this way, it foreshadows their relationship that will commence not only through this novel but in the following series. Their initial interaction hints that Annabeth has been waiting for Percy but only in the sense that she can now go on a quest as every demigod at Camp Half-Blood hopes to do.
The reader finds out that later in the novel she had a difficult time getting to camp and she has remained there full-time since she was seven years old, which made her the youngest camper at the time. In her journey to camp, she accompanied Luke Castellan, Grover, and Thalia Grace. Thalia sacrificed herself for the safety of her friends and those remaining made it to Camp Half-Blood. The tree of Half-Blood Hill is Thalia when her father Zeus took pity on her and allowed her to guard the camp one last time. Thalia’s tree is a magical barrier that keeps mortals and monsters out of camp. These events played a vital role in Annabeth’s identity as they defined her very first experience at Camp Half-Blood. She has stayed at camp the remainder of her life and has been itching for a quest to prove herself and determine whether or not she is an actual hero against the monsters. This is why she is so dedicated to Percy’s recovery because it is the way for her to be on a quest.
This quest is a chance for Annabeth to find her own identity as a demigod and to prove not only to her goldy parent Athena but to her mortal father that she is worthy of love. During the time on the train when our heroes were talking about their parents, both Percy and Annabeth mention their families. Annabeth speaks about her poor relations with her father but Percy senses there is more under the surface. “She [Annabeth] was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It occurred to me that the ring must be her father’s. I wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much.” (Riordan 201) This quote demonstrates that Annabeth still cares about her father because she is still wearing his ring. Not only is Annabeth a skilled fighter but she is an intellect and tells Percy, “I’m going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that’ll last a thousand years.” (Riordan 202) Annabeth wants to be an architect to be worthy of Athena.
During the quest, Annabeth finds her own identity and can prove herself to her parents. She also learns to have an identity in her friends and be surrounded by people that care for her. The next hero that finds their identity on this quest is Grover. Grover is a satyr whose original job was to get Thalia to camp but, in the end, he failed in his role. Grover always lived with that guilt and just wanted another opportunity to prove himself. This opportunity would come when he met Percy at Yancy Academy. Grover tells Percy “In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden and wake him from his sleep…It’s my life’s dream.” (Riordan,190) Grover knows that to get his searcher’s license he must help Percy succeed in this quest. Grover finds his identity in helping the demigods to then be able to search for Pan. At the end of the novel, once the lightning bolt is returned to Zeus, the gods grant Grover a searcher’s license. Percy describes his last interaction with Grover as “I tried to feel happy for him. After all, it wasn’t every day a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan. But it was hard saying goodbye.” (Riordan 357) Percy and Grover established a very close friendship that became a part of both of their identities. Grover was Percy’s first friend and Percy’s successful quest led Grover to begin his dream.
The most complex search for identity is the namesake of this novel, Percy Jackson. The audience is first introduced to Percy as a twelve-year-old boy with learning disabilities and behavioral issues that led him to get kicked out of multiple schools. “I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.” (Riordan 22) Percy does not know who he is in the scope of his family. He thinks his dad is some random sailor and not the god of the sea. One consistency is that Percy has always cared about those he is close to. At Yancy Academy, the school bully Nancy Bobofit was picking on Grover, who was Percy’s only friend, “and she knew I couldn’t do anything back to her because I was already on probation.” (Riordan 3) Even though Percy always struggled in school he always cared for others and would protect others. Being the protector of his friends and his mom is a part of Percy’s identity. As Percy arrives at Camp Half-Blood and is told that the Greek Gods are real and that he is a demigod he does not claim that into his identity. He is not excited that his dad is a god and the only thing he cares about at this point is bringing his mom back. “I was angry… but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting us blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out from camp.” (Riordan 185) This quote illustrates that Percy was not happy with the gods and is just doing the quest to try and find his mom. During a game of capture the flag between the campers, it is finally revealed who is Percy’s goldy parent. “I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning, and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident… Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.” (Riordan 126) This is Poseidon’s official claim of Percy and Percy does not know what to do. He does not realize the impact of being a child of the Big Three, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. As the novel continues, Percy discovers his demigod gifts such as breathing underwater and being able to fight monsters.
The first time that Percy accepts being the child of Poseidon is during his fight with the Chimera on the St. Louis arch. Percy is backed into a corner and the only way out is to jump off the arch and into the sea below. “‘Father help me,’ I prayed. I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted toward the river.” (Riordan 211) This is a point in time where Percy tests whether or not he is the son of Poseidon and jumps into the river based on faith and hope. Once Percy realizes that he survived and is breathing under the surface he comes to a realization that whether or not he likes it, being a demigod is a part of his identity now.
Not only does Percy go through a physical journey to the underworld but he takes a journey in which his character and identity develop. After everything occurs in the novel, in the end, Percy is a true demigod and knows that it is a part of him. Hades returned Percy’s mom once the dust settled. In the beginning, his only true family was his mom, and his dad was not in the picture. Once Percy found out about his dad and the world of Olympus, he had that nudge in the back of his mind to seek approval. To be worthy of his godly parent, similar to Annabeth’s identity search. In the last few sections of the novel, Percy states:
I moved back into cabin three, but it didn’t feel so lonely anymore. I had friends to train with during the day. At night, I lay awake and listened to the sea, knowing my father was out there. Maybe he wasn’t quite sure about me yet, maybe he hadn’t even wanted me born, but he was watching. And so far, he was proud of what I’d done. (Riordan 355)
This shows how developed Percy’s identity has become and his relationship with those around him. Percy fully embraces his connection to the ocean which is a part of his identity.
In conclusion, the theme of identity is seen through the journeys of Annabeth, Grover, and Percy in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. The author, Rick Riordan, uses theme to adapt the old classical Greek myths into modern-day literature. The main theme of classic Greek myths is hubris and fatal flaws.