Virtual Literary Circles: What Happens Next (Tropic Moon)

The death of Thomas is a crucial moment in the book.  One of the themes of the book is the brutal racism. Adele is the hotel owner’s wife and she seems to be very much involved in Thomas’s death. Eugene seems to be the only person that Adele is afraid of. She takes care of him and tries to help him fight his snail fever; however, she is not loyal to her husband. Thomas is a black servant that works in the hotel and he probably knows how close Adele is with her guests. Timar saw “Adele hit Thomas in the face with her fist” (10). I believe that this violent act happened for a reason.  Maybe Thomas happened to know too much about her actions and Adele didn’t want her husband to find out about them.

Timar on the other hand is mesmerized by Adele. He is not being very cautious with her and he is willing to do anything to make her happy. Adele is a very controlling and self-centered person. I believe that she is going to use Timar to accomplish everything she wants. Timar is going to struggle with his identity and eventually he will have to choose whether he wants to continue his romance with Adele or completely ruin everything and turn her in to the police.