65 pages • 2 hours read
Paul MurraySkippy Dies
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Parallel Universes
The symbolic meaning of other universes changes throughout the novel. It begins as a representation of Ruprecht’s idealism and hope for the future. His quest to discover a path to a parallel universe takes up the bulk of his personal narrative arc. He sees it as the next step in scientific endeavor; hence, he closely studies the pioneering work of Professor Hideo Tamashi to inform his research.
After the death of Skippy, the symbolic meaning changes to represent regret and the desire to change the past. Skippy hints at this symbolic meaning in Part 1, Chapter 12 when asking Ruprecht if it’s possible to go back to the past and stop the future. Ruprecht yearns to discover a pathway to another universe where Skippy is alive, if not the spirit world where he can reach the ghost of Skippy. This resonates with the regrets of other characters throughout the novel, including Lori, who regrets her relationship with Carl, and Howard, who regrets giving up his life with Halley. Lori, meanwhile, reminds Ruprecht of the value of the present world when she quotes Paul Éluard to him, hinting that he could continue to pursue his research and move on. Incidentally, Professor Tamashi reveals earlier in the novel that he developed his multiple universe theory after remembering a personal tragedy he experienced as a child.
Irish Folklore
The mythology and folklore of Ireland are invoked multiple times across Skippy Dies. In contrast to Ruprecht’s scientific endeavors, which seek to explain the universe, mythology emphasizes its fundamental unknowability and the chaos that exists around the characters.
Irish mythology is first invoked before the events of the Hallowe’en Hop when Ms. Ni Riain explains Halloween’s Celtic origins in the rite of Samhain. This casts an eerie mood over the mixer and opens up the possibility for the natural rules of social order to be upended. It also gives Skippy’s friends the confidence to suggest that Skippy should try talking to Lori. The otherworldliness of Samhain is emphasized by the mixer’s ephemeral nature. After it ends, no one can quite remember what happened at the dance, though this development is explained by the drugs Carl dumps in the punch bowl.
The Samhain lecture is also the first introduction of the Sidhe, invisible beings known to reside in burial mounds. Their invisibility links them to the invisible dimension that Ruprecht is seeking in his research. When he attempts his music experiment at the end of the novel, he essentially attempts to reverse the cycle of Samhain, breaching the veil of death to contact the invisible spirit world. The apparent failure of this experiment heightens the mystery of death.
Finally, the Samhain lecture introduces the concept of the White Goddess, who, apart from chaos, represents desire and the spark of inspiration. It is in this context that Howard comes to understand his attraction to Aurelie, as well as his past attraction to Halley. The Druid also claims to be a servant of the White Goddess, using his access to drugs to bolster desire. Howard’s colleague tells him of a counterpart to the White Goddess, the Black Goddess, who, in contrast, inspires wisdom.
Addiction
Drug addiction is a motif for the avoidance of adolescent issues. Several of the novel’s teen characters become reliant on drugs to escape an engagement with the issues that trouble them. They first appear in Skippy’s narrative as he uses them to pacify his reactions to the world around him. The narrative eventually reveals that the pills were given to him by his abuser, Tom Roche, and that they also cause his death. Skippy takes an overdose to avoid going to another swim meet, but it is also possible that he takes them to avoid dealing with other looming issues, such as his mother’s illness and Lori’s infidelity.
Lori relies on drugs to escape her low self-esteem. She first acquires drugs from Carl under the assumption that they are diet pills. Lori does not feel special, and she thinks that if she can make herself attractive enough through weight loss, she can escape the way she feels about herself.
Outside of drug addiction, other forms of addiction drive characters like Father Green, whose sees his addiction to sex as a way to escape his carnal thoughts.
