The Lightning Thief: Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Identity

A common theme throughout The Lightning Thief is identity, and it is often framed as a struggle for the characters embarking on quests. Due to his learning disabilities, Percy has been labeled a troublemaker who lacks potential. He lets the opinions of many of his teachers determine his worth and self-respect. These negative beliefs are so deeply ingrained in Percy that he cannot believe or comprehend how someone like Mr. Brunner/Chiron could see such potential in him. Despite thinking that he will feel more complete when he knows his father, the actual knowledge makes Percy feel more isolated than ever. His request to retrieve the master bolt affords him the opportunity to not only learn more about himself, but also recognize that others can’t decide his identity for him. At the end of the quest, Percy realizes that he doesn’t have to be the struggling child he was at the beginning of the novel, but he also doesn’t need to reinvent himself as a heroic figure.

Other characters face identity crises as well. For instance, Annabeth struggles with her identity as a half-blood while trying to manage a relationship with her family. Grover, too, battles with his identity, viewing himself as a failure as a result of his inability to protect Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia on his first quest. Going on the quest with Percy changes the perception he has of himself and grants him the courage to look for Pan. Lastly, Luke struggles with his identity as the son of a god. He feels abandoned and chooses to side with Kronos over the gods. By the end of the novel, many characters go from not having a very defined sense of self to solidifying who they are as people, or who they are choosing to become.

Do Not Underestimate Yourself or Others

Many of the characters and creatures in The Lightning Thief underestimate Percy and his friends. Authority figures often underestimate Percy due to his age and his reputation as a troubled child, and Annabeth feels undervalued by her father and stepfamily, so she runs away from home. Grover allows his feelings of worthlessness to prevent him from genuinely believing in himself and living up to his potential. Percy learns that, by trusting others, chiefly Annabeth and Grover, he can come to trust himself and be heroic. Similarly, Annabeth and Grover learn the same from their time spent with Percy. Once they begin to live up to their potential, they utilize their newfound confidence against monsters and various trials. In contrast to the trio, Luke’s preoccupation with being underestimated manifests in feelings of anger and revenge. Unlike the other characters who are able to overcome their feelings of worthlessness, Luke represents what happens when one harbors a negative self-image and subsequently channels that negativity into action.

The Importance of Trust and Collaboration

Trust and collaboration prove to be important parts of Percy’s success, and they also help him discover what he values. Percy makes decisions throughout the novel to either choose to trust others or keep things to himself. He ultimately decides it is better to trust, despite the number of times his trust is betrayed by characters like Aunty Em, Ares, and Luke. When Percy is challenged by Echidna to trust that he is his father’s son, he chooses to jump into the water from hundreds of feet in the air. When the Nereid warns Percy not to trust gifts, he chooses to keep the information to himself and allows Grover to keep using the gift of flying shoes from Luke while he uses the backpack from Ares. Percy even chooses to go through life-or-death situations with his friends, despite being warned through a prophecy that he will be betrayed by a friend. On his journey, Percy learns to trust himself and others, opting to see the value in trust and collaboration despite the risks they may pose because, in the end, they are the core tenants of his character; he doesn’t want to be like those who distrust and manipulate others.

Next section Motifs