67 pages • 2 hours read
Rick RiordanThe Lightning Thief
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Greek Mythology
Riordan draws heavily on figures and stories from Greek mythology in The Lightning Thief. He also pulls stories from classic tales, such as the Odyssey, putting a modern twist on the gods, monsters, and stories. In Chapter 5, Chiron describes Mount Olympus as existing in two parts. The mountain itself exists up in the clouds on the same plane of existence as Earth but invisible to humans. The essence of Olympus, however, moves in accordance with modern civilization, which Chiron refers to as “Western,” meaning America here. While America is the current focal point of the gods, their influence spans the globe, and their home base will theoretically move again when the dominant civilization on Earth moves.
The gods and monsters of Greek myth are recognizable from the classic mythology yet still modernized. Zeus is the most ancient in action and speech. As king of the gods, he rules the modern pantheon while still representing its roots. Poseidon and Hades, Zeus’s brothers, are more modernized but still classic. Ares and Mr. D, sons of Zeus, appear more modernized, representing the younger generation of gods. Both are also rebellious in different ways, almost as if they are the teenagers of the gods. Similarly, the monsters featured in the book fall along a range of modernization. The Furies (minions of Hades) are threatening and ugly, much like they are in myth. Medusa and Procrustes—a woman cursed by Athena and a son of Poseidon, respectively—fit more into human society, owning stores based on their stories in mythology. Both present credible threats, but unlike the Furies, Medusa and Procrustes are comical in addition to being dangerous.
Locations and other key figures from mythology also make an appearance in the book. In Chapter 2, Percy sees the Fates cut their yarn of life, a sign the watcher will die. In the myth, the women spun and snipped the thread of life, but here, they knit giant socks, about which Percy makes a joke about Bigfoot, and this change modernizes their role in the story. The Underworld plays a large role in the book. In the human world, it’s housed in a recording studio in Los Angeles, the modern portion of its existence. Beneath, however, the Underworld resembles the place described in myth, with countless gray spirits roaming the Fields of Asphodel.
Godly Items and Gifts
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover interact with many godly items on their quest. Of great note is Zeus’s lightning bolt, the main item of the story. It is the source of Zeus’s power and a formidable weapon. In the wrong hands, it could perpetrate untold destruction. Similarly, Hades’s helm of darkness gives its wearer great power. Together, they offer the strength of two gods. Kronos has Luke steal them to incite a war among the gods. It is never said, but it is also possible Kronos wanted the items to expedite his recovery and destroy his prison.
Godly items are also offered as gifts to help Percy, Annabeth, and Grover on their quest. Annabeth possesses a cap of invisibility, a birthday gift from Athena years ago. In addition to allowing her to move unseen, the cap offers Annabeth the ability to observe unnoticed and gather information that she can later put toward the plans she forms. Percy receives Riptide, his sword, from Poseidon. The blade is forged of celestial bronze and injures monsters but passes through humans with no effect. Riptide will also always return to Percy if lost, stolen, or swiped away in battle, making it a powerful weapon. Luke’s sneakers are a gift from his father, Hermes, and a modernization of Hermes’s winged sandals. Luke offers the shoes to Percy in what seems like a gesture of good faith. In truth, the shoes are cursed to drag Percy to Kronos. The contrast of the sneakers to the cap and sword show how gifts can be both helpful and harmful.
Gifts and items also come in a noncorporeal form. As a son of Poseidon, Percy has some abilities passed down from his father, such as the abilities to manipulate water and talk to horses. Annabeth inherited great wisdom and tactical skill from Athena, and the children of Ares are proficient with any weapon, including their fists. Luke, as a son of Hermes, has a knack for theft, a clue to him being the bolt thief. Mist also plays a role in the story. Though not technically an item, mist allows the godly world and the human world to exist side-by-side without humans discovering mythology is real. It disguises items, monsters, and gods from human senses, showing instead something plausible from a human perspective.
Prophesies and Dreams
Throughout The Lightning Thief, Percy experiences vivid dreams that seem almost real. The dreams show him things that are happening elsewhere and offer insight into those events. In the case of dreams involving Kronos, the dream conduit allows the titan to communicate with Percy. Early on, the dreams serve as foreshadowing. Percy sees the gods fighting or representations of godly battles, such as the eagle and horse in Chapter 3. When Percy’s quest begins, he feels Kronos’s power through dreams. Even across vast distance and between worlds, the titan influences waking and slumbering minds; in this way, Riordan demonstrates Kronos’s power and sets up the story for him to become more powerful later in the series.
Percy’s prophesy in Chapter 9 starts his quest. It is delivered in a riddle that offers little more than a guideline for Percy and his friends to follow. By having the prophesy appear this way, Riordan stays true to the nature of prophesy while adding tension to the story. When the prophesy finally fulfills itself in Chapter 22, things are not what they seemed. The prophesy almost has a mind and agenda of its own, weaving in circles to its fulfillment. It represents the futility of dwelling on the future. At various points on Percy’s quest, the four lines of the prophesy could mean different things, all of which turn out to be at least partially wrong. Like in real life, we cannot know what the outcome of a situation will be, and it is hopeless trying to predict what will happen.
Dreams offer insight and what seems to be accurate information, while prophesies offer complicated riddles. However, prophesies remain a source of information for the future and quests, as is evidenced by Chiron’s undisclosed prophesy at the book’s end. Dreams seem much more accurate than prophesies, but they are given far less weight. Despite enhanced senses and godlike abilities, demigods struggle with the same informational confusion as humans. They dismiss sources of uncluttered knowledge and embrace unsolvable puzzles. They make things more complicated than they need to be. Even the gods do not believe dreams. Although Percy hears Kronos in his dreams and at the pit in the Underworld, Percy’s warnings about Kronos go unheeded by Zeus and Poseidon. It’s not said here, but it can be inferred that Kronos will not be taken seriously as a threat until his return is prophesied.
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