Signal Fires

How is the The Night Sky a theme?

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For Waldo, the night sky represents both the possibilities of a life away from his father and the notion that he is an infinitesimal part of something much larger, which brings him great comfort. When he is a child meeting Ben outside his house, Waldo struggles with his father's rejection of his passion. He knows that "this is what makes" all the noise in his head "go quiet" and that nothing else works for this purpose (47-48). Indeed, Waldo will leverage his passion into a successful career later on down the line (102). Looking at the sky helps him feel like the consequences of his life are not so important as to be deeply stress-inducing.