108 pages • 3 hours read
Barbara Haworth-AttardTheories of Relativity
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
The Consequences of Life on the Streets
Theories of Relativity explores the dangerous and degrading life of youth on the streets, and a large part of that life is the gradual lowering of personal standards that comes with trying to survive. Every street kid exhibits this decline in what’s acceptable to them personally either prior to the start of the novel, as seen with Amber and Twitch, or as the novel progresses, as shown through Dylan and Jenna.
Dylan is the strongest representation of this degradation as his morals are made clear at the beginning, especially regarding Vulture. Dylan resents Vulture but also fears him, saying, “I kept out of [Vulture’s] clutches. But I’m not stupid. I stay out of his way” (12). Dylan knows Vulture uses hardships and drugs to control people, narrating, “A party, a beer, a snort of coke, a joint, a night of warmth off the street and suddenly you’re in Vulture’s grip” (17). Despite Vulture’s invitations and threats, Dylan works to keep his freedom from Vulture’s empire, priding himself on the independence that comes with it.
However, as the novel progresses, Dylan’s hardships increase, and he dances at the edge of Vulture’s control multiple times, tempting Jenna to defy Vulture. Dylan becomes careless and gets himself beaten within an inch of his life. This creates an opening for Vulture, who uses Jenna to capitalize on Dylan’s vulnerability and get him addicted to drugs, which Dylan has avoided up to this point. Once Dylan is addicted to drugs, his standards for himself decline rapidly. Dylan, who previously avoided the crazier street people, worried “their craziness might be catching, like the flu” (8), finds himself resembling them as he wanders the streets desperate for another pill. At one point, Dylan digs into the garbage and helps himself to a leftover danish—something he disdained in the Garbage Man prior to this. Dylan has become the very person he’s looked down upon.
The lowest step on Dylan’s descent is his decision to prostitute himself. Early in the novel, Dylan reacts angrily to Brad’s attempts to take advantage of him, incredulous that Twitch allows Brad to do so with him. Dylan cannot fathom a world where he sells his body, stating, “I still have standards. My body is mine” (54). However, once Dylan is indebted to Vulture and hooked on drugs, he is willing to sell himself to Brad. The penultimate chapter takes place outside Brad’s apartment, where Dylan is psyching himself up to go prostitute himself. He has relaxed his standards about his body because getting out of debt with Vulture is more important.
This degradation in standards is shown in the other street kids as well. Jenna’s slow descent into prostitution, as forecasted by Dylan, shows how easy it is for street kids to fall victim to the lifestyle. Amber’s lifestyle and resulting pregnancy show her disregard for her well-being. Twitch refusing medical help in favor of drugs is a direct result of his life on the streets. Each street kid experiences this descent into desperation and the consequences that come with it. Amber knows this and foreshadows Dylan’s descent in Chapter 11 when she tells him, “you’ll find yourself doing anything you can to make it go away” (97), referring to the hardships of street life.
Using Theories to Maintain a Sense of Control
Throughout the novel, Dylan presents theories to help explain his actions and the actions of those around him. These theories provide Dylan a sense of control in his turbulent life on the streets. The novel opens on Dylan’s theory that “every fourth person will give [him] money” (3), and by the end of the chapter, Dylan has proven his theory in some sense. Though Glen, his fourth person, does not give Dylan money, he does provide Dylan with food, which is just as valuable, so Dylan considers his theory proven. Though Dylan has no control over this interaction, he still feels better about himself for creating the theory and proving it.
As the novel progresses, Dylan presents theories about shrugging, about staying safe, about social workers, and about Twitch, all of which contribute to his ability to explain the decisions and actions of those around him. Dylan’s contempt for social workers is explained by his theory in Chapter 5, where he says, “I have a theory about social workers. They’re needy. They need to think they’re bettering mankind. But they’re really trying to make themselves feel good” (39). This theory reveals Dylan’s attitude toward social workers and explains his reluctance to accept help and his skepticism toward Ainsley’s attempts at aid. Dylan doesn’t believe Ainsley really wants to help and reacts with revulsion when he finds out she’s studying to be a social worker. This theory on social workers is Dylan’s way of excusing himself from taking advantage of the resources social workers provide.
Chapter 9 opens with Dylan’s theory about staying safe, starting with the “popular theory […] that a person should stand up to bullies” and transitioning to Dylan’s theory “that a person should keep his own teeth for as long as possible” (73). Dylan doesn’t want to be regarded as a coward, and he knows that some might say he needs to stand up to Lurch and Vulture. However, Dylan shifts this idea to his own well-being and allows himself to cower because of what he believes. This shifting of the accepted theory is a way for Dylan to justify his actions and allow himself to believe he is doing the correct thing.
The shifting of theories from popular to personal recurs at the end of the novel. In his conversation with the Einstein hallucination, Dylan says that black holes do exist because he’s in one. He knows it’s theorized that black holes are inescapable, and he believes this is an appropriate metaphor to describe his situation with drugs and Vulture. However, after deciding he wants to make a change, Dylan must shift this theory for his own benefit. In the final chapter, Dylan introduces the “accepted theory […] that once something is sucked into a black hole, it can’t escape” (228). However, Dylan immediately shifts this theory to something more accommodating of his decisions, stating, “I have a theory that something can. Me” (228). In this instance, Dylan must reframe the theory to believe he has a fighting chance at getting out of his predicament. By asserting that black holes are escapable, Dylan sets himself up for success and increases his odds of escaping the streets.
Choosing to Accept Help
The theme of accepting help persists across the character arc of every street kid in the novel. Dylan, Amber, Jenna, Twitch, and even Glen’s younger brother all rebel against the idea of accepting the aid that is offered to them.
Dylan first rejects help when he encounters Mr. Crowe at his old school. Mr. Crowe sees right through Dylan’s lies, immediately understanding his situation. Mr. Crowe tells Dylan, “There are people who can help with situations like yours” (35), but Dylan maintains his lie about moving to avoid accepting any sort of help. Despite Dylan’s interest in computers, he also rejects the idea of attending the computer school, particularly when Glen pushes it on him. Dylan’s reasoning is that “it takes all [his] time just to stay alive. There’s none left over for studying” (76), and he defiantly crumples the flyer for the school before Glen’s eyes.
Dylan sees the help offered by the computer school as a hinderance to his way of life. He believes the time he’d devote to studying is better spent begging for money or food. People like Glen and Ainsley try to explain that Dylan must be willing to accept help if he wants to change his circumstances. When Dylan returns from Murdock, Ainsley again lectures him on accepting help, saying, “There’s still a chance for you, Dylan, but you don’t have to do it yourself. That’s what I’m trying to offer you here, help” (188). She emphasizes that Dylan must decide for himself to accept help. Ainsley, who has been on the streets, understands what it takes to escape the cycle of homelessness. She urges Dylan to consider his options and move forward because she knows Dylan can’t fix his situation by himself.
Glen echoes these sentiments when he tells Dylan about his younger brother, stressing that drugs were the choice his brother made. Glen tells Dylan, “I can help you […] but ultimately, that is your decision. I can’t make it for you” (206). Glen desperately wants Dylan to choose to accept his help, but he knows Dylan won’t accomplish anything if he doesn’t make the decision for himself. At the end of the novel, Dylan finally makes this decision, and instead of calling Glen to ask for money, he asks when he can begin working. Dylan finally realizes that he must put the work in and accept the opportunities offered to him to break free from the cycle of homelessness.
Other characters who reject help throughout the novel are Amber, Jenna, and Twitch. Ainsley offers Amber advice for her pregnancy and urges her to visit a nurse for prenatal care, which Amber disregards. Ainsley also attempts to get Twitch to a doctor before his condition worsens, but Twitch ignores the appointment card and ultimately lands in the hospital. Dylan tries to help Jenna by offering her ways to get away from Vulture, but each time, Jenna only moves deeper into Vulture’s clutches. This aversion to accepting help reflects a deep mistrust of society at large. Each character landed on the streets because people they trusted let them down, and now they refuse help from viable sources because of the fear that still lives within them.
