The Thief Of Always

The premise behind The Thief of Always is a combination of the ideas that drive two famous stories from myth and literature: The Odyssey and the story of Doctor Faustus. In different ways, each story deals with the human desire for endless pleasure and the disasters that such a selfish desire can create.

While the majority of The Odyssey focuses on the arduous, 10-year journey of Odysseus and his soldiers as they voyage home after the Trojan War, the aspects of the epic that relate most directly to Barker’s novel are the crew’s encounters with the Lotus Eaters, the sorceress Circe, and the alluring song of the Sirens. During their travels, Odysseus’s men nearly succumb several times to tempting pleasures that lead to trouble or death. Among the Lotus Eaters, the crew becomes drugged into perpetual lassitude, and Odysseus must rescue them from their own lack of motivation and force them to continue their sea voyage. Similarly, when the demi-goddess Circe hosts them at a sumptuous dinner, they fall victim to her spell, and she transforms the men into livestock. Once again, only their wily captain can rescue them by convincing her to restore them to human form. In yet another example of being seduced by beautiful illusions, the Sirens sing their divine songs as Odysseus’s ship passes by, and some of his crew dive overboard, swimming to the women’s island, where they are promptly devoured.

As the fantastical events of The Thief of Always progress, it becomes clear that Transcending Illusions and The Perils of Pleasure are key themes that drive both the action and the underlying philosophy of the novel. Youngsters eagerly visit Mr. Hood’s Holiday House and enjoy every childhood pleasure, from warm summer breezes to delicious foods and endless gifts, all of which collectively lure them into passivity while Mr. Hood converts their days into years, drains away the energy of their potential lives, extracts their souls, and transforms them into fish. Like a boy version of Odysseus, Harvey must ultimately confront the evil Mr. Hood, destroy the House, and rescue the children.

In addition to The Odyssey, the story of Doctor Faustus has a profound impact on the events in the novel. The story has been told in many ways over the centuries, and history is littered with versions that include plays, novels, and films. Christopher Marlowe’s 1592 play, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, describes the efforts of an arrogant professor to use magic to obtain wealth, power, and glory from Satan, giving his soul in exchange. Satan makes good on the deal, and Doctor Faustus experiences many wonderful adventures, advises kings, and becomes wealthy and renowned throughout Europe. The day of reckoning finally arrives, however, and Faustus—until then heedless of the metaphysical consequences that his deal set into motion—is dragged, kicking and screaming, down into Hell.

Something similar guides the minds of the ensnared children in The Thief of Always. Wendell enjoys the pleasures of Holiday House and thinks nothing of the future, remaining heedless of any possible consequences for the luxury of his current situation. His motto is “Who cares?” Similarly, Lulu enjoys her stay until she finally pays the price and gets transformed, like all children who visit, into a giant fish. Harvey, tempted by the chance to become a vampire and indulge his darker whims, nearly kills Wendell but avoids the wickedness of such behavior just in time. His resulting insight allows him to realize that the House tempts kids, not only with pleasure, but with the opportunity to become arrogant and careless in their approach to life. This haughty attitude weakens their consciences until, by the time they realize the heavy price they must pay for such an existence, it is too late to escape their fate. Thus, both The Odyssey and Doctor Faustus are adventure stories that deliver pointed lessons on temptation, arrogance, and over-indulgence. The Thief of Always makes a similar appeal to its audience of young readers, borrowing from the rich plotlines and mythical magic of its literary forebears to craft a horror story about the dark underbelly of unbridled pleasure.

(Study guides for The Odyssey, Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, and Goethe’s play Faust, Part One are available at SuperSummary. See also the Further Reading & Resources section of this study guide.)