Octavian Nothing could have been a book about a single mother and her son if not for the fact that the mother-son duo are enslaved and live in a college of male philosophers and scientists. Those men make the mother-son relationship more like a mother, a son, and a bunch of potential father-figures. You know—"it takes a village," only the village is a whole lot of white male scientists.
In other words, family is kind of a far-out concept in the book. It's much more abstract than your typical two-parent household with 2.5 kids.
Questions About Family
- Is Octavian's adoration of Cassiopeia too intense, or perfectly okay for a mother-son relationship?
- What kinds of fathering does Octavian end up getting from the men in his life?
- Is Octavian jealous of Lord Cheldthorpe? If so, why?
- How does Bono both fail and succeed as a father figure for Octavian?
Chew on This
Octavian's "family" at the College may be unusual, but it beats the typical two-parent household.
Octavian's relationship with Cassiopeia is completely incestuous because Cassiopeia treats him like a substitute husband.