Somewhere Beyond the Sea

“The boy. The boy with the fire has come home.”

When Arthur returns to Marsyas Island, he hears Zoe’s thoughts from inside one of the island’s trees, emphasizing how inextricably Zoe is bound to the island. The description of Arthur as “the boy with the fire,” takes on both literal and figurative significance over the course of the story—Arthur is a literal phoenix and also burns with a need for justice and a passion to build a better home for other magical children than the one he himself had. These early lines in the novel’s prologue introduce the symbol of fire as a key motif in the story.

“It was a tricky line to walk with her: lay it on too thick, and she’d shut down, waving it off and changing the subject. He’d made it his mission to tell her at least once a day how proud he was of her.”

Arthur’s thoughts about Phee characterize both her and himself. Arthur has deep compassion for the children in his care, and he works hard to help them grow. Phee struggles with her confidence, despite having grown somewhat in her time at Marsyas. The fact that she has already changed in some ways—and the likelihood of Arthur’s success in helping her continue to grow—demonstrates The Transformative Power of Love.

“I like my body. It’s squishy.”

Chauncey follows his declaration that he has a cloaca rather than a penis with this assertion of pride in his unusual, amorphous green body.