Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-12

Chapters 13-17

Chapters 18-22

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Family as a Support System

Theodore Boone and his family are the main actors in this novel. Both of Theo’s parents are lawyers, and though, his uncle Ike was mysteriously disbarred, he still retains a well-used knowledge of the law and the legal system. Theo is at first afraid to rely on his straight-shooting parents, feeling that they would report that Bobby had knowledge of the crime as officers of the court while Theo does not want to betray Julio’s trust. As a result, he turns to his uncle Ike, himself a conundrum. Theo at first dreads his weekly visits to his uncle’s, and the mysterious circumstances were under which Ike lost his legal license are like an elephant in the room. However, Ike quickly becomes Theo’s confidante, and Theo comes to see how much his uncle cares for him. When he volunteers to help Theo by keeping an eye on the trial, he says, “I’ll go over to the courtroom and have a look. I’ll do some more research, maybe talk to a friend or two. I won’t use your name. Believe me, Theo, I’ll always protect you” (138). By this point, Theo knows that he can trust his uncle.

Later, when Theo realizes he must finally go to his parents and tell them everything that is going on, not the least of which is that there is evidence for the case hidden in their firm. Ike opens the conversation, explaining that Theo was nervous about talking to them. However, Theo’s parents quickly come on board, even telling Theo that he should keep the witness’s name to himself so that they don’t feel obligated to report who it is to the court. When it comes time for them to decide how to address the situation, they push Theo to determine what the right decision is, even though he “was hoping the adults would know what to do” (185).

This environment facilitates Theo’s growth as a person as he comes to better understand that the legal system is more complicated than just people being guilty or not guilty. It often has real effects that go beyond the courtroom. Being able to rely on his family helps him to better understand not only the seriousness of the situation but also how to respond as such conflicts come up. Additionally, all three of the elder Boones are delighted to see Theo’s skills and promise. For example, when Theo asks Bobby questions about what he saw on the day of the murder in front of Judge Gantry, “Woods, Marcella, and Ike sat back and watched with enormous pride, but all three were ready to catch any mistake” (253). They want to both challenge and support Theo and because of his ability to rely on family—and even the Boone parents’ ability to rely on Ike—he grows.

Understanding What Justice Means

At the beginning of the novel, Theo is entranced by the prospect of being a skilled trial attorney, but he is not yet aware of the complicated effects that the legal system can have on people’s lives. This is most apparent in his debate over what to do in the case of Julio’s cousin and the way in which Theo comes to dread entering the courthouse by the climax of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, he views the murder trial as “the big game” (58). Yet, this culminates in his desire to avoid the courthouse by the time he discusses what’s happening with Julio’s cousin, making it “perhaps the first time he’d entered the courthouse with some reluctance […] Theo was afraid of what was about to happen, though he had no idea what it might be” (188).

As a result of this problem, Theo must contemplate what to do in what seems like a no-win situation, one that he sums up by thinking about, how, if he said something about what Julio’s cousin, “A family would be seriously harmed […] But, a guilty man would be convicted. Otherwise, Pete Duffy would probably walk out of court a free man. He would get away with murder” (130). The conflict of the novel centers on this debate for Theo as he grapples with the contradiction of the legal system in either letting Duffy off or having Bobby deported.

Theo has several guides throughout to help him navigate what to do about his predicament. However, as his uncle Ike tells him: “Leave it alone, Theo. Don’t stick your nose into this mess. It’s no place for a kid. It’s no place for an adult. The jury is about to make the wrong decision, but based on evidence, can’t blame them. The system doesn’t always work, you know. Look at all the innocent people who’ve been sent to death row. Look at the guilty people who get off. Mistakes happen, Theo. Leave it alone” (158). This is a lesson that Theo must learn the hard way as he contemplates what to do. Additionally, his friendship with Judge Gantry allows Theo to see his role model in action as he too deliberates what to do in tough situations, leading Theo to decide that he wants to be a judge when he grows up.

The Sense of Satisfaction in Helping Others

Theodore Boone watches his parents help others in each of their respective areas of expertise, and he sees how they value volunteering at the soup kitchen to help others. This sense of satisfaction in helping others comes through to Theo in his own desire to help others. Throughout the novel, friends and classmates come to Theo to ask for his help in their family’s legal troubles, and Theo ensures they leave as “[a]nother satisfied client” (42). These range from Sandy Coe and his parents’ fear of foreclosure to Woody and his brother’s run-ins with the law for possession of drugs. Theo also sees it in his friend April’s parents’ divorce proceedings as he tries to give her advice on what to do so that she is cared for in the situation.

These cases start out small, with Theo simply offering advice and using his family’s connections to recommend next steps and/or other attorneys who might be best-suited to advocate for them. However, once Julio and his cousin Bobby enter the picture, Theo is faced with a much more difficult dilemma. The more he learns from Bobby, the more he is sure that his testimony could change the tide in the Duffy case, but Bobby, his “client,” desperately wants him to keep what he knows a secret. Theo must decide what to do, and to him, his decision could also have implications on future “cases,” noting that if he were to go to Judge Gantry, it is possible that Bobby could be deported, and “Theo’s credibility would be ruined,” even though it would also mean that Duffy would for sure go to jail (130). However, once he goes to his parents—highlighting the theme of family as a support system—he finds that this is not what happens. Ultimately, Bobby and Julio are both taken care of because Theo’s family works with Judge Gantry to facilitate their security.

Ultimately, Theo still feels deeply satisfied in navigating this difficult situation and being able to help both Julio and Bobby. The novel ends with Theo advising Miss Gloria about what to do with her brother’s legal troubles before he goes to class, “leaving behind another satisfied client” (263). By ending this way, Grisham shows both that Theo’s life will return to a semblance of normal, even though he will be involved in helping Bobby to prepare for Duffy’s new trial date, and that Theo continues to be a person who can be relied upon to address legal troubles. Theo, too, is happy to work with these “clients” on both big and small issues, as he continues to be satisfied by helping others.