Theme Analysis

At some point in our lives, we all make mistakes. Some people hold on to

their mistakes and let the past hold them down from ever doing something or

talking to someone. For other people though, they try to forget their past and

move on to the present. Heather Smith shows that people should move on from

their mistakes but have them learn from them in the book Ebb & Flow. The main

character, Jett ends up having a ‘rotten bad year’ and ends up moving in with his

blue haired grandmother in the house his family lived in before his dad went to

prison. As the days go by he starts examining memories from his past. As he

remembers them he washes them out of his mind like waves in the ocean, but

unlike the ocean, he can’t just drown his problems. He ends up remembering a

big part of his past that he just can’t seem to forget. He starts to become guilty

and finally cracks, and makes a phone call that changes his life for the better.

From the very beginning, Heather Smith teaches us that everyone makes

mistakes. She teaches us by show how the main character, Jett can’t seem to

forget about his rotten bad year. Early on in the book Jett says, “He reminded

me of Alf, Alf and my rotten bad year,” (17). The reason this is such a big part in

the book is because we get introduced to the problem of the story and why he is

living with his grandma. This also shows that although Jett was living with his
grandma to forget about his year, he couldn’t seem to forget about it. Which

shows that everyone makes mistakes but sometimes they stick with you for a

long time.

As we read farther into the book we find Jett not being able to forget his

past and mistakes. Though, he tries and tries to change and forget his past and

himself. You can see this in the book when Jett says, “all the happened that

rotten bad year.” (78). This illustrates how Jett can’t seem to find a way to

forget about his rotten bad year and his mistakes. Even though he tries and tries

to forget and can’t seem to forget his past and mistakes, and even goes as far as

tries to change himself. He will soon realize that everyone makes mistakes and

that all you can do with your mistakes, is learn from them.

You can see that in the book Ebb & Flow by Heather Smith that the best

thing you can do with your mistakes, is learn from them and move on. When I

first started reading Ebb & Flow, I thought that it the book was just about a kid

who wasn’t a good kid and just was trouble, but when I kept reading I found that

the book is more about learning from your mistakes than just forgetting your

mistakes. I can remember a time in my life where I kept making horrible

mistakes, I let them break me down, but I realized that if I forgot and learned

from my mistakes then I would build my self up and keep going. Heather Smith

has inspired me to make sure that when I make a mistake that I learn from them

and let them set a brighter path for me in the future.