Political Division in The Things We Never Say: A Theme of Fractured Unity

Thematic Claim: Political Polarization as a Corrosive Force

In The Things We Never Say, Elizabeth Strout presents political division not merely as a backdrop but as an active, corrosive force that deepens personal isolation, destroys institutions, and ultimately contributes to the unraveling of both community and self. The novel’s central claim is that the refusal to speak honestly about political beliefs—or the inability to bridge ideological chasms—leads to a form of communal suicide, mirroring Artie Dam’s private suicidal despair. This theme is traced through three key plot developments: the violent soccer game, Principal Hoover’s suicide, and Ken Moynihan’s support of a controversial president.

Tracing the Theme Across Three Plot Points

1. The Soccer Game: From Sportsmanship to Sectarian Violence

The soccer game described in Chapter 2 becomes a microcosm of national division. What begins as a routine match quickly escalates when a parent from the opposing team shouts anti-Semitic slurs at a Jewish student, Jacob Aaronson, after a referee’s call. The incident exposes how political and religious hatred infiltrates everyday life. Artie, sitting in the front row, witnesses the eruption firsthand. Later, in class, students discuss the fight, and Willoughby asks Artie whom he will vote for—a question that would have been unthinkable in a less polarized era. Artie deflects with humor, refusing to reveal his views, but the damage is done: the game’s violence is a symptom of a society where identities are weaponized.

2. Principal Hoover’s Suicide: The Institution Collapses

Principal Hoover Lakeland’s suicide, revealed in Chapter 3, is the most dramatic consequence of political division in the novel. Hoover is under FBI investigation for harboring undocumented immigrants, receives death threats, and is abandoned by his mistress. His note—“I’m done”—echoes the novel’s epigraph about loneliness stemming from unspoken truths. Hoover’s death is directly linked to his political stance: he tried to protect others in a climate that criminalizes compassion. Artie’s earlier conversation with Hoover about the election and “anticipatory obedience” foreshadows this collapse. Hoover predicts that the country is “fiddling while Rome burns” and later kills himself, suggesting that political exhaustion can be fatal. His suicide makes national headlines, yet Artie refuses to comment—a silence that mirrors the novel’s title.

3. Ken Moynihan’s Support of the President: Friendship Tested

Kenneth Moynihan, the man who rescues Artie from drowning, becomes a crucial foil. In Chapter 7, Artie learns that Ken supports the incoming president—a man Artie fears will dismantle democracy. Despite this, Artie says to himself, “he still loves him.” This moment embodies the complexity of political division: two people who care for each other can hold irreconcilable views. Ken’s support is not cartoonish villainy but a reasoned position (he believes the president will “shake things up”), and Artie must navigate his own feelings of betrayal. The friendship endures, but the political rift creates a permanent unease, underscoring the theme that division is not easily resolved.

Character and Symbol Connections

Artie Dam: The Reluctant Liberal

Artie is a history teacher who avoids sharing his politics, yet his teaching reveals his values. He assigns students Union soldiers from Massachusetts, not Confederate ones, prompting parental complaints. He teaches about fascism and the Holocaust, believing that historical honesty is a moral duty. Artie’s personal despair—his suicidal plan—runs parallel to the national despair. His inner voice says, “My country was committing suicide,” linking his own mental state to the political landscape. He represents those who feel powerless in the face of division.

Hoover Lakeland: The Martyr of Polarization

Hoover is the character most destroyed by political division. As principal, he tries to mediate between parents and teachers; as a private citizen, he hides undocumented immigrants. His suicide is a direct result of the escalating hatred—death threats, FBI investigation, public shaming. Hoover’s story shows that political stances have real, sometimes fatal, consequences. His “I’m done” note is a tragic echo of Artie’s own desire to be done with life.

Rhonda Lazarre and Danny Marino: The Next Generation

Students like Rhonda Lazarre and Danny Marino absorb the division. Danny writes “FUCK YO” on a wall, and Artie helps him clean it without reporting him. This act of mercy is political: Artie refuses to punish a boy who mirrors his own rage. Danny learns that “adults have secrets, and they are serious and sad,” a lesson about the weight of political silence. Rhonda tells Artie he has a guardian angel, and later shares a story about not judging others—small acts of humanity in a divided world.

Symbols: The Sailboat and the Letter

The sailboat represents the desire for escape. Artie finds peace only on the water, but in the epilogue, even sailing is tainted by Rob’s warnings about surveillance and the erosion of civil liberties. The boat becomes a fragile sanctuary. The letter from Reginald reveals Artie is not Rob’s biological father—a personal secret that mirrors political secrets. Both the sailboat and the letter symbolize the things we never say: the truths that isolate us and the desires that remain unspoken.

Complexity and Contradiction

Strout avoids simple villainy. Ken Moynihan is a good man who voted for a bad president; Artie continues to love him. Hoover is both a victim and a secret-keeper (his affair, his illegal immigrants). The novel suggests that political division is not a conflict between good and evil but between people who cannot understand each other. Artie’s own contradictions—he wants to die yet saves Danny Marino; he lies to Evie about Rob’s paternity—reflect the broader fragmentation. The epigraph from Jung defines loneliness as “the inability to communicate what is personally important” or to hold views that others reject. This definition applies to both personal and political realms: Artie cannot share his suicidal thoughts; Hoover cannot share his fear; the country cannot share a common story.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the soccer game in Chapter 2 illustrate the novel’s theme of political division?
   The game becomes violent when a parent shouts anti-Semitic slurs at a Jewish student, showing how political and religious hatreds erupt in everyday settings. The incident also forces Artie to confront the fragility of community norms in a polarized society.

2. What does Principal Hoover’s suicide reveal about the cost of political polarization?
   Hoover’s suicide is the direct result of death threats, an FBI investigation for harboring immigrants, and public shaming. His note “I’m done” symbolizes how political exhaustion can become fatal, linking personal despair to national decay.

3. Why does Artie remain friends with Ken Moynihan despite Ken’s support of the president?
   Artie decides that love can coexist with political disagreement. He acknowledges Ken’s goodness while rejecting his political choices. This complicates the idea that division must end relationships, suggesting instead that silence and endurance are sometimes the only responses.

4. How does Artie’s teaching of the Civil War reflect the political divisions in the novel?
   Artie assigns only Union soldiers from Massachusetts, prompting complaints from parents who want Confederate perspectives. The school board pressures him, illustrating how curriculum becomes a battleground for competing national narratives.

5. What role does the sailboat symbol play in Artie’s response to political despair?
   The sailboat offers temporary escape from the news and from his own suicidal thoughts. Yet in the epilogue, even sailing is overshadowed by Rob’s warnings about government surveillance. The boat becomes a fragile island of peace in a drowning country.