Sensitivity
The novel’s messages reveal images of sensitivity and lack of it in modern life. One of the female characters ponders over comfort of being just embraced by a beloved, and thinks that it would be great pleasure, “if only their relationship could be distilled into simple, wordless gestures of comfort”. After thinking over this, she asks herself: “Why had humans ever learned to talk?”, which assumes that emotions are more valued than words. By this image two major themes – politics and children-parents relationships – are interwoven, and imperfect balance of words and displaying pure emotions is depicted.
A good parent
The novel is abundant in images of inattentive, negligent, and even cruel parents. The parents in The Casual Vacancy are portrayed like those, who would never support their children, and would not love them no matter what. They accept their kids to respect and show obedience, but they dispose no respect to their own children. The image of a good parent, according to the author, is the one who loves his own child purposefully: “you’re not supposed to dislike your own child. You were supposed to like them no matter what, even if they were not what you wanted.” Even with this image of a good parent, the novel lacks such a parent.
Stranger in her own life
Krystal’s life is filled with hardships and much torture. Having nobody to get support from, or simply sympathy, Krystal feels lonely and her life seems to be useless. The image of her passing the school’s hall shows how isolated she is. “Krystal’s slow passage up the school had resembled the passage of a goat through the body of a boa constrictor, being highly visible and uncomfortable for both parties concerned.”
Strong personality
Stuart Wall, nicknamed Fats, is a portrayal of a strong teenager, though rough and mean, but still confident and acute. Most of all he values honesty, and it becomes his “currency, his weapon and defense”. Fats has noticed that “it frightened people when you were honest; it shocked them”, and most of people “were being ashamed of what they were, lying about it, trying to be somebody else.” But at the same time these people were “terrified that their truths might leak out”. Growing up, Fats regretted many of his deeds, but he never felt remorse for being honest.
