The Simple Things by Bill Condon
The Simple Things by Bill Condon follows the story of Stephen, a ten year old Australian boy, and his first encounter with his curmudgeonly great aunt when his family goes to visit her on holiday. Having never met, and with a seventy year age gap, Stephen and his great aunt Lola don’t get along particularly well at first. Lola, a former school teacher, has lived mostly in isolation for quite a few years, more so by choice than anything else. She’s very opinionated and rather out of touch with the culture of younger individuals, and so she often clashes with Stephen when he uses slang she disapproves of or he brings up things like video games that she doesn’t understand the appeal of. However, the two begin to eventually warm-up to each other, as Stephen seems to be able to get Lola out of her shell with his caring but humorous demeanor. As the two bond and Stephen learns more about the life of his great aunt, he comes to realize that the two of them aren’t as different as he once thought.
The main themes of this novel center around loss, compassion, and the beauty of life; with that, death is not a topic that Condon actively tries to avoid at any point. Initially brought up when Stephen goes to hug his great aunt before going to sleep and says, “You might die tonight and then I’d feel bad that I didn’t hug you”, Stephen’s naivety and lack of understanding because he is a child often serves as a contrast to reality (Condon 39). Lola and her neighbor Mr. Smith are dealing with the effects of old age, and Mr. Smith in particular is undergoing some sort of treatment and is not expected to live long. But although he may misspeak at times, Stephen seems to bring joy to those around him as he does his best to show compassion for the people and things around him. Themes of loss and death show themselves as Mr. Smith relays the story of why he no longer hunts after killing a beautiful bird, and Stephen has his own experience shortly thereafter. While fishing, Stephen lands a large fish, and upon reeling it in is unsure of what to do. His only thought seems to be ensuring the fish lives, and he attempts to run the fish home and give it a chance by tossing it in the bathtub and filling it up with water. Ultimately, the fish does not survive, and while everyone else is confused and unsure of why Stephen would do something like that, Mr. Smith acknowledges that it was Stephen’s compassion and love for life that drove his actions and his attempt to save the fish. What’s particularly important about Condon’s use of loss as a central theme in this novel is that he uses it to provide juxtaposition to the beauty of life and acknowledging that while circumstances may not always be ideal, there’s joy to be found in the small and simple things that life has to offer.
What Condon’s writing particularly excels at is his approach towards more difficult themes, especially in a novel that is being written for children. While his takes and approach to dealing with loss and death have been touched on above, Condon also touches on teenage pregnancy and Lola’s “loss” of her daughter when she was given up for adoption immediately after birth. While this may seem an almost abrupt shoe-in to someone who hasn’t read the novel, Condon introduces this topic in a manner that can easily be understood by a younger student (198). This isn’t a topic that comes up frequently in literature (and especially within children’s literature) and through Condon’s use of dialogue the reader is easily able to glean Lola’s feelings and the difficulty that she faced while going through this experience. Condon’s writing and dialogue in general are consistently excellent throughout the novel, and he writes in a way that is both accessible to a younger student, but is also descriptive in a way that fleshes out the characters in a “show not tell” sort of way.
Overall, while The Simple Things is directed towards elementary age students, it’s still an enjoyable read from the perspective of an adult. Condon explores topics and themes not often found in children’s literature, and as such, an adult will be able to relate more than a child in a few aspects of this novel. Stephen’s dad stands out as the adult foil to Stephen, and as Stephen and his father watch the sun rise together, Stephen’s father reminds him that, “It’s the simple things like this that stay with you, Steve.” (88). And while this story by Condon may be simple, it’s endearing, accessible, and a story that is able to reach and connect with a diverse audience.
Works Cited
Condon, Bill. The Simple Things. Allen & Unwin – Australia. 2014.