Theme and message

The main theme of the short story “Noel” by Michael Plemmons is that of objectifying children, treating them as objects instead of vulnerable human beings. The author’s intention with the short story is to show a cruel reality of children being traded, and an alternate society in which adults refuse to commit to the long-term care a child needs and only prefer to act like parents for a short period.

Objectifying children

The story explores this theme in a dystopian-like setting in which orphan children are used as tradable merchandise, as they are periodically rented by childless or old people for a certain amount of money. The story shows how children have been objectified through the way the...