Themes

The main themes explored in “The Whaler” by Joe Sheerin are the theme of coming of age (or the first step towards maturity) and the theme…

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Coming of age

The concept of ‘coming of age’ represents a child’s transition into maturity. Coming of age can mean different things for different people and it can imply a physical change as well as a mental change. In the case of the boy narrator, the theme of coming of age is explored through the boy’s sudden loss of innocence upon realising that his childhood hero is a liar and a fraud.

“I never saw a whale in my life.” He broke the silence. Involuntarily I turned to stare at him in the shock of disbelief. Never saw a whale. The hero of my lonely stories. The harpoonist of my wild imagin…

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Appearances and disappointment

This theme is mainly illustrated by the Whaler. Although everyone in town talks about his great adventures at sea, the man never sailed in the ocean and never even saw a whale. His reasons to lie to the people in town are not explained, but we can assume that he probably did it out of shame or out of his need to be admired and considered important. The following quotation also suggests that the man is bitter and ironic when it comes to his lies, which shows that he might have a…