Stepping on the Cracks

The overarching theme in Stepping on the Cracks is Margaret’s realization that things she believed to be cut-and-dried are anything but. This revelation causes “cracks” in her worldview. Margaret learns that nothing is absolute, and Hahn uses this moral ambiguity to inform each of the novel’s other themes. Margaret’s attitudes about heroism and cowardice, friends and enemies, and family relationships all come into question. Facing difficult ethical choices, Margaret must reevaluate her long-held values and expectations.

Particularly in contrast to Elizabeth, who acts partly as her foil, Margaret expresses moral sensitivity and is quick to recognize when an ethical problem exists. She sees that Stuart’s desertion involves something other than mere cowardice and questions the majority’s uncritical patriotism surrounding the war. Margaret also rethinks her opinion of Gordy, opens her eyes to the grim reality of domestic violence, and discovers her mother’s limitations. Each of these revelations involves issues of moral ambiguity, which exists when there is a question or situation that has ethical components involved—like telling the truth, doing good, showing mercy, following the law, keeping promises, or respecting autonomy—but the “right” course of action is not clear. Conflicting beliefs or principles make it hard to decide what to do.