Theme

The main theme explored in “Pride and Joy” by Philippa East is sacrifice. This theme is illustrated both by Mrs Jacks and, in the end, by Meg.

Sacrifice

The theme of sacrifice is closely connected to the sub-theme of motherly love. In the short story, Mrs Jacks is an old widow who takes care on her own of her developmentally impaired 48-year-old son, Billy. As Billy cannot do anything for himself, Mrs Jacks treats him like she would treat a baby: she dresses him, feeds him, clips his nails, ties his shoelaces, and goes with him to the toilet. Because of the amount of work and time it takes to tend to Billy’s needs, Mrs Jacks has sacrificed her own life. She is no longer able to take care of herself properly; she is old, she walks with the help...