The document discusses several themes from the novel "Goodnight Mr. Tom" including friendship, loss, darkness, child abuse, and World War II. It explores how the novel presents strong friendships between the main characters William and Mr. Tom, and William and his friend Zach. It also examines how the characters deal with tragic loss, from William's perspective of losing his mother, sister, and friend Zach, to Mr. Tom coping after his wife and daughter pass away. Darkness is shown as both a literal theme from the blackouts during the war, and figuratively as characters rescue each other from emotional darkness. The child abuse William suffers from his mentally ill mother is a central theme, as is how the war impacts

1. GOODNIGHT MR.
TOM
Made by:RUMAISA
Arisha,hira

2. STARTER
WHAT ISTHEME?
Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a
literary work, which may be stated directly or indirectly. In other
words, what critical belief about life is the author trying to
convey in the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem?This
belief, or idea, transcends cultural barriers. It is usually universal
in nature.

3. GUE
SS
THAT
ARE U
READY ?
Btw I am MR.TEDDYBEAR D

4. The bus was travelling at a
great speed when it was
stopped by a gang of
robbers.The passengers
were ordered to get out,
leaving their precious
belongings in the bus.
Theme of fear

5. Their marriage ceremony
was taking place in a
grand hotel. All the
eminent people of the
city were invited, the
reason that the
celebration was excellent.
Theme of Happiness

6. All the family members
were dressed in black,
with somber faces.
They were participating
in the funeral ceremony
of their deceased
relative.
Theme of gloom

7. The general
commanded his troops
to open fire at the
enemy, and to kill each
and every soldier of
the combatants.
Theme of war

8. Book
synopsisDuring WorldWar II,
an aging recluse's
stony heart is
softened by his
friendship with a
young evacuee from
London.

9. THEMES
OF
GOODNIG

10. Friendship
A number of strong friendships are presented in the novel.
The first is the relationship between Mr.
Tom andWilliam. Looking beyond age
differences, the two characters share a
common bond that unites them.They have
both experienced loss and loneliness.
William’s loss was in the form of his non-
existent mentally ill mother.Tom’s loss was
the death of his wife and child.The two
characters understand one another on a
higher level and help each other cope with
their sorrows.The end result is an amazing
friendship evolving into a father/son
relationship.

11. Friendship
A number of strong friendships are presented in the novel.
Another important friendship is
the one betweenWilliam and
Zach. Both evacuees, the two
friends share similar life
experiences. However, it is their
differences that unite them.
William is fearful and reserved and
Zach is extroverted and jovial.
Zach represents everything
William wishes to be

12. Loss
Throughout the novel the theme of loss and the impossibility of dealing with it is explored
Tom Oakley experienced the
shattering loss of his wife and
newborn daughter and keeps
them close as their final resting
place is beneath the big tree at
the end of the back garden. He
deals with the loss by closing
himself off emotionally and
socially from anything that
reminds him of his wife.
Willie deals with loss three times - his best
friend Zach is killed in London during the most severe
bombing raid of the war thus far, his mother commits
suicide and his baby sister does on his arms after their
mother abandons them in the cellar space of her house
without food. The loss of his sister brings feelings of
guilt and the loss of Zach is an almost insurmountable
wound that he only deals with after realizing Zach is
still with him if he reminisces and keeps him alive. The
loss of his mother is actually not a loss on the
traditional sense as her suicide frees Willie from the
threat of further abuse from her. As well as these
individual examples of loss the book takes place
against a backdrop of war so the entire community is
experiencing loss both personal and through people
they know.

13. Darkness
One of the themes of the book is the dark.
TheWorldWarTwo backdrop again adds to the theme as the village had to
be in total darkness at night so not to enable German planes to see their
targets, and there are multiple references to putting up the black out
curtains.Tom constantly seems to rescueWillie from the dark and bring him
to the light, for example, whenWillie is having terrible nightmares in the
dark and turns on the oil lamp as he comforts him. Similarly whenWillie is
tied up in the cellar on the dark at his mothers house it is againTom who
rescues him and literally shines a light onto him.Throughout the novel the
children's may reference to how dark it is and the pitch-dark trip to Spooky
Cott results in meetingGeoffrey the wounded air man who is living there as
he comes to terms with his injuries.

14. Child Abuse
Willis's mother is a brutal bully and her anise ofWillie has made him
terrified of everything. He has absolutely no self-esteem and
believes that he has no talent for anything and no qualities that
might make people like him. He believes these things because he
mother tells him so. As well as being emotionally abusive,Willie's
mother is terrifying in her physical abuse of him, going so far as to
pack the thick leather belt that she beats him with in his things so
that whoever he is evacuated to can continue in the same vein.This
is also an indication that she genuinely believes that it is normal to
use this kind of force on a child. Her abuse escalates into murder
when she leaves babyTrudy in the cellar withWillie to starve to
death.
Interestingly the theme is explored
further whenTom sees the medical staff
holding Willie face down on the bed in the
hospital and pumping him full of a
sedative to prevent him from crying out in
his sleep.Their treatment of the children
in their care seems very abusive and is not
monitored by any authorities.

15. World War Two
As well as being the time in history that the novel is based in, the war is
also one of the themes of the book. It is the reason forWillie's evacuation
and for the presence in the village of Zach, a fellow evacuee. It alters
everyone's role in the village and there is an "all hands on deck " attitude
that makesTom get more involved in the community.The war is also the
reason for Zach's death and the mayhem in London after a bombing raid
was the reason thatTom was able to takeWillie home to Weirwold
without being spotted. Each event that happens not only has the war as
its backdrop but at its epicenter and none of the events that take place
would have done so without the war being the catalyst.

16. What do you think made this one of
the most widely read children’s
books.?
the delicate treatment of the themes of
loss, bereavement, death, life, love,
relationships and most of all, child abuse in
the novel have made it one of the most
widely read children’s books.

17. THANK
YOU
IN A SEA OF
PEOPLE IWILL
ALWAYS
SERACH FOR
YOU-MR.TEDDYBEAR D
TILL NEXT
TIME….BYE
ALL