Themes in Coram Boy - Edexcel

Coram Boy explores the themes of:

• Family

• Friendship

• Charity

• Courage and loyalty

• Exploitation

• Music

Remember

When revising themes, think about:

• Which characters present each theme most clearly?

• Which events from the plot are most relevant to each theme?

• Which aspects of historical context link to each theme?

The Ashbrooks

The Ashbrook family are wealthy landowners. As Alexander is the eldest son, his father, Sir William, plans for him to inherit the estate and wants him to learn how to run it. However, Alexander wants to follow his love for music. Sir William doesn’t respect this wish, causing Alexander to leave home.

After Alexander leaves, Sir William disinherits him and declares "he is no longer my son". It is only years later that Sir William realises what he has lost. By the end of the novel, Alexander is living back at home and is married to Melissa.

Through the Ashbrook family, Gavin explores how tradition and money are not as important as love, togetherness and respect.

Otis and Meshak

Meshak’s mother died when he was young, leaving him to be raised by his father, Otis Gardiner. Otis calls Meshak a "lazy dolt" and says that he has been "cursed" with Meshak as a son.

Otis takes advantage of Meshak by making him bury babies but sometimes pretends to be a caring and devoted father in order to seem trustworthy to strangers.

Meshak eventually runs away from Otis to take Melissa’s baby to Coram Hospital. Despite having a negative role model in Otis, Meshak tries his best to be a good guardian for Aaron suggesting that the best families aren’t always blood relations.

The Ledburys

The Ledbury family provides a contrast to the Ashbrooks.

In this contrast, Gavin may be showing the importance of a secure and loving family over a wealthy one.

Try this mini quiz to see how much you know already about the theme of friendship in 'Coram Boy'. Read more below if you want to freshen up your knowledge before starting.

Alexander and Thomas

Alexander and Thomas met when Thomas joined Gloucester Cathedral school. Thomas was being bullied by the other choristers and, instead of joining in, Alexander told him that if he could make the boys laugh they would leave him alone. Thomas took this advice and his life at school became much easier.

They become close friends but Thomas is troubled by their difference in social class. Thomas is from a lower-class family whereas Alexander is called ‘Gentleman Alex’ by the boys at school because of his wealthy family.

However, their shared love of music brings them together and their friendship overcomes the difference in their class.

Aaron and Toby

Aaron and Toby’s story mirrors Alexander and Thomas’s story. They meet as children and grow up together in the Coram Hospital. They are best friends, despite their different status in society, and spend all their time together. As Toby says:

We go together or stay together.

Even after they are split up, they still look out for each other. Toby risks his life trying to help Aaron and Meshak escape from Mr Gaddarn. Once they escape the slave ship, Aaron and Toby return to Ashbrook together. With Aaron and Toby, Gavin is showing another loyal friendship.

Meshak and Aaron

Meshak rescues baby Aaron and takes him to Coram Hospital. He says "I’ll be your mammy now, and your da. I’ll be your guardian angel".

As Aaron grows, Meshak is always nearby. Aaron realises that Meshak is more like a child than an adult, and so "one day, he would have to be Mish’s guardian angel". Although Aaron promises Meshak that they will "always be together", he realises that he will have to leave Meshak to escape the slave ship. Despite this separation, Meshak eventually finds his way back to Ashbrook to watch over his "angels".

Gavin is showing the importance of loyalty, but also of freedom from those we love: if Aaron had stayed with Meshak he would have ended up as a slave in America.

Lady Ashbrook and the orphanage

When Lady Ashbrook discovers the terrible conditions in the local parish orphanage, she is shocked. She thinks that the orphanage "shamed the Ashbrook name" because it is on their land.

She decides to form a committee to look into the welfare of destitute children in the parish, but faces opposition from Admiral Bailey, who thinks that "an orphanage that does its job too well does no one any favours".

Despite this, Lady Ashbrook is successful in improving standards within the orphanage and raises money to improve conditions for the orphans.

The Coram Hospital

In Part One of the novel, Otis tells Mrs Peebles about Captain Thomas Coram’s new hospital to "save the poor children of England".

Otis mocks this, suggesting that wealthy people give money to the Coram Hospital to "salve their consciences and purchase their respectability". Otis is suggesting that instead of actually doing anything practical to help, wealthy people would rather just donate money and pretend that this makes everything okay. This attitude common in the 18th century.

Lady Ashbrook and Captain Coram seem to think differently though, as they both involve themselves more practically in helping vulnerable children.

You can learn more about the Coram Hospital in the Coram Boy Context Guide.

Abuse of charity

Gavin shows how some people can take advantage of charity. Otis Gardiner takes advantage of mothers who are unable to care for their children by promising to take them to the Coram Hospital for a fee. He is helped in this, first by Mrs Peebles and then by Mrs Lynch. A nurse working in the Coram Hospital, Sarah Wood, is also involved in this corrupt scheme.

When people begin calling Otis Gardiner a "charity man", Meshak wonders what the word means. He remembers being told that in the Bible, the word "charity" meant "love", but when he thinks about how badly his father treats the unwanted children, he cannot understand why anyone would call it charity.

Questions

Alexander

Alexander has the courage to stand up to his father and fight for his dream of becoming a musician. This costs Alexander his family, who he doesn’t speak to for seven years after leaving.

It took courage for Alexander to go against the expectations of his family and his class, and to give up his inheritance of the Ashbrook estate.

Alexander and Melissa

Alexander and Melissa remain loyal despite not seeing each other for seven years. As soon as they are reunited, Alexander makes it clear to Melissa that his feelings have not changed.

For Alexander and Melissa to marry went against the expectations of their class, as Melissa would have been considered part of the servant class. Therefore, their marriage also shows their courage in following their hearts, despite the conventions of the day.

Meshak

Meshak knows straight away that he needs to protect Melissa’s baby by taking it to the Coram Hospital. Even though he has never left his father before, he is brave and his courage saves Aaron’s life. He remains loyal to Aaron and Melissa, even returning from America to be near them.

Thomas

Thomas is a loyal friend to Alexander, even though they are different in personality and in class. Ultimately, Thomas’s courage and his loyalty to Alexander lead him to give up his life to save Alexander. Gavin is showing that there is honour in loyalty.

To exploit someone means to take advantage of them in an unfair way.

Otis Gardiner is the most exploitative character in the novel. He:

• Exploits vulnerable mothers and their children

• Pretends to be a "charity man" in order to take money from women who think he will be able to give their babies a better life

• Sells older children into jobs where he knows they are likely to be treated badly.

As long as Otis earns money, he doesn’t care what happens to the children.

Otis’ exploitation is enabled by many people in positions of power:

• Admiral Bailey pays Otis to get rid of unwanted children from the Ashbrook parish

• Authorities at the Coram Hospital don’t ask enough questions when Phillip Gaddarn finds "jobs" for the older children (he often sells them into slavery).

Gavin shows music to be a source of freedom for her characters. Alexander’s love for music allows him to escape the expectations of his family and his class. Aaron’s musical ability gives him the chance to meet Alexander, after his talent attracts the attention of the composer Handel.

Music is also an equaliser as boys from all classes are seen to partake in it – from Alexander and Thomas at Gloucester Cathedral, to the children of the foundling museum.

The song ‘The Silver Swan’ is particularly significant in the novel. In Part One, Alexander sings it to his mother in an attempt to convince her to support his interest in music. In Part Two, Aaron sings the same song while at Ashbrook and, everyone realises how much he looks like Alexander.

Sir William is particularly affected by hearing the song again and writes a letter to Alexander asking for a reconciliation. Mrs Milcote and Melissa are also reminded of the baby when they hear Aaron sing, and Mrs Milcote admits to her daughter that her baby did not die.

Gavin uses this song as a symbol for the link between music and honesty. Once the characters are honest with themselves and each other, they are free to be who they really are.

Test your understanding of the themes in Jamila Gavin's Coram Boy by taking this quiz.