Violence
In the world of Cal, violence is a constant. It is there most obviously in the terrorism committed in the name of the political conflict, where fellow countrymen bomb, shoot, and rob each other under the guise of securing freedom. Cal is pulled into this violence through his association with Crilly, a former classmate. It is not something he wants or even condones, and yet the tough situation in Ireland at this time has a way of making criminals out of the most timid boys; Cal is partly willing to join the Republican movement because of the looming threat from the UVF, the Loyalist faction that hates him simply for being Catholic. Thus author Bernard MacLaverty showcases how violence is continually perpetuated through the fear it invokes in people and communities—a fear which leads to seemingly average people deciding to participate in it.
The story also points to the way violent behavior leaves an imprint on even those individuals who are not directly involved. For instance, although Shamie is not a man with aggressive inclinations, he still gets sucked into the conflict to the point where he keeps a gun by his bedside because of his son's choice to dabble in the movement. There is also the example of the Morton family, who undergo serious shock, grief, and even physical debilitation in the case of Mr. Morton because of the vicious actions of Crilly and Cal. An act of terrorism can take just seconds but its impact often lasts a lifetime.
Morality
Cal wrestles with his own immoral doings throughout the story. He is differentiated from figures like Crilly, who feels little remorse about the crimes they have committed, and is instead shown to be constantly mulling over his actions and lamenting how through his own choices he has ruined his life and his potential for a relationship with Marcella. Unlike many men in the IRA, Cal does not try to rationalize or justify his actions; he knows they are immoral and wants out of the violence, having no desire to enact revenge against the Loyalists even though they treat him hatefully.
One could say Cal is truly stuck between a rock and a hard place: on one side he has the wrathful UVF men trying to burn him out of his house, and on the other, Crilly and his Republican friends who constantly pressure Cal to join their own terrorist movement. It is Cal's own weakness that prevents him from standing up for what he knows is right, for the morals taught to him by his kind-hearted and devoted mother. Instead he succumbs to the seductions of fear: fear of losing his social standing and even his life. Thus the story of Cal seems to suggest that there can be no moral virtue without the strength of character to carry one's principles forward, without the fear of repercussions.
Religion
Religion features as a theme in the book in different ways. For one, on the more outward level, there is the religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, who disagree on the role of the Roman Catholic Church in their nation. Ironically, people on both sides go against the teachings of their own spiritual creed through their violence and animosity towards each other.
On another level, there is the more personal relationship we see between the characters and their faith. Marcella is seemingly a devout Catholic who attends Mass each Sunday, inspiring Cal to go to services as well. Besides his prime motive of encountering Marcella, Cal uses the church service as a sort of refuge from the paranoia he feels when at home. Yet, we see during the services how Cal has difficulty in connecting more deeply with the religion, for instance using the moment of prayer to indulge in worry and self-hatred. He knows deep down that Christian values are at odds with his own wrong actions, and thus any displays of piety are a farce. Whereas for many, such as Marcella, religion serves as a comfort from the suffering of everyday life, for Cal it is a trigger for more suffering, reminding him of his own shortcomings.
Love
Amidst the chaos of terrorism and the heaviness of guilt, there is a love story tucked into Cal. MacLaverty leaves enough ambiguity so that the reader may decide whether there is a genuine connection between Cal and Marcella, or if the relationship is more so a product of Cal's obsessive self-punishment combined with Marcella's desperate loneliness. It could be argued that Cal's romantic attraction to Marcella is born out of his semiconscious desire to atone for his sin of murdering Robert Morton and to provide Marcella with the male companionship that he tore away from her. Yet there are other indications that Cal truly admires and adores Marcella's qualities, such as her playful sense of humor and kindness. The tragedy of the story is that the closer Cal gets to Marcella and is able to open his heart to her, the more he suffers, as he knows his past actions have already ruined the possibility of a lasting union.
Cal brings up the important question of whether a true relationship is feasible between people when there is such a massive truth being concealed. At one point Cal even acknowledges the absurdity of loving someone and lying to them at the same time, thinking to himself: "To speak of love he knew there had to be openness and truth." In one respect, Cal's arrest at the end of the book is the best possible scenario for him, as he is finally relieved from the burden of constantly hiding something from the one he loves.
Northern Irish Politics
The situation in Northern Ireland portrayed in Cal involved the Catholic IRA terrorists and their campaign of violence and fear waged against the Loyalist Protestants, who had their own insurgent army. The basic issue was about Irish autonomy from Great Britain. This conflict was colloquially known as "the Troubles." Cal, our protagonist, is a reluctant contributor to the IRA activities, serving as an accomplice to robbery and murder. The novel shows how diverse the members of such factions were, with the working-class Cal and Crilly participating alongside the more upper-class Skeffington family. While the political circumstance functions as a backdrop to a story of personal challenge and suffering, MacLaverty also makes clear the futility and absurdity of such a situation, where fellow countrymen willingly destroy each others' lives in ways both physical and psychological. In this context, the choices Cal makes take on a different meaning, as the reader comes to empathize with the difficulty of being born and raised in such tumultuous times.
Growing Up
Cal is in one respect a coming-of-age story. Cal, at 19 years old, is partly still a boy, and in another, a man looking for his place and purpose in the world. In many ways, Cal is an average teenage boy: insecure, sexually curious, and trying to find his group of peers. Yet because of the trying times in which the novel is set, Cal's typical process of growing up is colored by the calamity of terrorism and the extremely serious choices made while he is not mature enough to realize their consequences. This is part of the tragedy inherent in Cal: the protagonist merely wants to live a normal life, to date and fall in love with a woman, and to go to sleep each night without wondering whether the opposing gang will set his house on fire. But the stark reality is that his life is not normal. The terror of every day has narrowed his world and pulled him into a constant state of paranoia, thus preventing him from actualizing his true dreams and desires.
Class
In the Northern Irish town where Cal lives, there are pronounced class differences. Most notably there is the contrast between Cal, who comes from a working-class home, where his father toils away each day at the slaughterhouse, and the Mortons, who are portrayed as a more wealthy family, owning land and employing people to work on their farm. Cal as well as Cyril Dunlop are surprised when Mrs. Morton offers a job to Cal, not only because he is Catholic but also because of his class.
We also see how the affiliation of the IRA brings together men beyond class barriers, as demonstrated in the way the upper-class Skeffington partners with the more working-class Crilly. However, Skeffington is clearly in a position of power within the organization, leaving the more dangerous tasks to people like Crilly and Cal. In this way, we can infer how the movement draws in young men who wish to get out of their class situation and dedicate their lives to what they believe is a noble cause, even if it means risking their lives.
