49 pages • 1 hour read
Jane HarperThe Lost Man
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Stockman’s Grave
The stockman’s grave is the site of a local legend near the Bright family farm. From the time Bud discovers Cam’s body there, the grave is a motif that runs through the story. Its importance is emphasized in several ways, from Cam’s painting of it hanging prominently over the mantel to the fact that Ilse hid her money and documents there.
Each character has a different version of the stockman legend, offering insight into that character’s state of mind. Cam told Sophie that the stockman “shot himself by mistake. Climbing through a fence and not paying attention. His foot slipped and he accidentally blew his own head off with his gun” (157). Cam assesses the stockman as “stupid” and sees his death as his own fault as the result of carelessness. He makes this assessment during the time he is angry with himself for Katy’s pregnancy and worried about the reappearance of Jenna Moore. Ilse, on the other hand, says the stockman was “trampled in a stampede” (187), a reflection of her feelings at being manipulated and abused by Cam. The version that Nathan relates at the beginning of the novel reflects Cam’s death. The stockman’s camp and horse were abandoned, and the man was found dead, miles away.
Toward the end of the novel, Nathan reveals the true story of the stockman. He died saving his son from a dust storm, giving his horse to the boy and staying to face the storm: “Nathan imagined the man telling, ordering, his son to go on without him. Promising him he would find the other horse and be right behind. Saying it, and knowing that it wasn’t true” (318). This story, though it is factual, connects to Nathan’s preoccupation with his relationship with Xander and through him to the theme of Learning to Be a Father. The stockman is the ideal father, demonstrating the values that Nathan tries to uphold, in direct opposition to his upbringing.
Cam’s Painting
About five years before the novel begins, Cam painted a picture of the stockman’s grave, and the painting symbolizes Cam’s power over the Bright family. It hangs over the fireplace at Burley Downs, dominating the living room. The family knows never to touch it. Ilse warns Nathan, “Don’t touch the picture. Golden Rule in this house” (202). When Nathan takes the painting off the wall, he does so “feeling the buzz of an outlaw” (320). When Sophie and Lo see him carrying the painting, Sophie asks, “‘What have you done?’ But beneath her horror, her eyes gleamed with delight at the sheer scandal of it” (320). Their reactions underscore Cam’s hold over the family even in death and hint at the abuse that is revealed at the end of the novel.
Breaking the rule about touching the painting leads to Nathan’s discovery of Cam’s killer when he finds Ilse’s envelope. Liz confesses to the murder and tells Nathan she hid Ilse’s documents on the back of the painting because she believed that, even after his death, no one would touch it. The painting was the safest place in the house. When Nathan breaks the rule about touching the painting, he breaks the power Cam has over the Bright family. The symbolism suggests that bullies and abusers exert control through fear and intimidation, and sometimes decisive, courageous action can stop them in their tracks. The symbolism of the painting shifts slightly at the end of the novel, when Lo presents her version of the stockman’s grave. As Nathan puts it, “Where Cameron had been heavy-handed with the shadow, she had managed to capture corners of light” (317). Lo’s reimagining of Cam’s painting symbolizes the rebirth of the family and their escape from the hold that Cam had over them.
Nathan’s Radio
Early in the story, Bub chastises Nathan for leaving his radio off and missing the news of Cam’s disappearance: “Thought you promised Mum you’d keep it on, mate.’ Nathan didn’t reply, and Bub didn’t push it” (7). Various family members impress on Nathan the importance of keeping his radio on. Leaving it off when he is alone in the outback is dangerous, and Nathan’s lack of concern for his safety shows the depth of his depression.
Nathan’s radio is a symbol of his self-exile. Shunned by Balamara, Nathan takes his separation one step further by cutting off communication even with his family. The distance between them grows so great that he communicates only once a day through a GPS tracker. Glenn and Steve also see his lack of radio contact as a red flag.
After Cam’s death, Nathan returns to his family but still leaves his radio off when he is out on the property. He is one step closer to his loved ones, but he maintains a distance. When Xander tells him that he’s scared the outback will take him like it took Cam, Nathan asks what he can do. Xander replies, “You can turn your radio on, for starters. […] And use it once in a while. Let people know you’re alive” (208). Xander’s fear at not being able to contact him is the first time that Nathan sees the pain his distance is causes, and he begins to change his behavior.
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By Jane Harper
