The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch centers on the theme of art, which comes to represent security and engagement in Theo’s eyes. After Audrey’s death, The Goldfinch itself is a physical object that gives Theo a sense of constancy: “I liked knowing it was there for the depth and solidity it gave things, the reinforcement to infrastructure, an invisible, bedrock rightness that reassured me” (304). Though his world may be falling apart around him, The Goldfinch remains true, an object he can rely on. When he looks at the painting, “something about the neat, compact way it tucked down inside itself […] made me think of pictures I’d seen of my mother when she was small” (27). Here, there is a direct correlation between the painting and Theo’s mother, both in form and in idea. Similarly, Theo’s work at Hobart and Blackwell also offers a feeling of security. Antiques are another form of art, and Theo learns how to work on these pieces and engage with them in a physical manner. He buries himself in the work, and it allows him to distance himself from feelings of loss. In this way, art pieces act as physical objects that give Theo a sense of security.