36 pages • 1 hour read
Dan SantatThe Aquanaut: A Graphic Novel
Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Chapter Summaries & Analyses
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Themes
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Important Quotes
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BetaThemes
Finding Home in Family
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and animal cruelty and death.
Finding home in family is a central theme in The Aquanaut because loss motivates the characters until they realize that they have found a new form of family with each other. Being with family means being home, no matter where they are, whether on land or in the ocean. Sophia and her uncle lost Michel to the ocean, and the event changed their lives forever. They didn’t know how to rely on each other and instead found themselves navigating life largely on their own. Sophia often complains about how her uncle doesn’t spend enough time with her and puts too much energy into his work, which only furthers the distance between them. Sophia makes a new friend in the aquanaut and finds support from an unlikely, non-human source. They become like family to her and help her mend her relationship with her uncle.
Sodapop has memories of feeling safe, loved, and protected by his father when he was younger. Sodapop’s father explored the ocean floor with him, helped him find a new “shell,” and snuggled with him in the old car while they waited for the squid to disappear. All these experiences felt like home to Sodapop, and then his father was taken from him in an instant, just like Sophia and Paul experienced when they lost Michel. It takes time for Sodapop to realize that he, too, has a new family in the form of Carlos, Antonio, Jobim, and Sophia. Sophia and Sodapop exchange their shells, symbolizing how each of them considers the other family and acknowledging their shared understanding of the experience of grief. For the aquanaut, home was presumed to be somewhere safe and away from danger, but in the end, they are compelled to go back to the ocean where they belong. While they are sacrificing total safety, they gain freedom, and they know they can always rely on each other.
After several major incidents, Paul’s perspective on his research, the past, and his need to remain connected to his brother begin to change. Paul realizes how much he has neglected the family he still has, which is Sophia, and concludes that “home isn’t a place. It’s the people around you” (239). He lets go of the need to continue the project, closes Aqualand, and finds new ways to stay connected to his brother through Sophia, serving as a father figure. Sophia and Paul find that they can rely on one another and that they are not alone.
The Right of All Creatures to Live Freely
The right of all creatures to live freely is a theme woven throughout The Aquanaut. The novel centers around a marine biologist, his niece, and their new friend, a group of four sea creatures who seek safety from the ocean. The sea creatures who make up the aquanaut use Michel’s old diving suit to come to land with the hopes of finding sanctuary at Aqualand. Because Michel and Paul intended for Aqualand to be a marine conservatory, Sodapop and the others assume that it still is one. However, what they find is the complete opposite; Aqualand has become a tourist attraction where the animals are held captive and treated unfairly. Paul allows investors to use him for the sake of his research and loses sight of his and Michel’s moral foundation concerning marine life. Money is at the heart of this moral corruption, as Mr. Lula believes that “there’s no money in saving endangered sea life” (65). Humans are infamous for encroaching on the territory of wildlife in all its forms, and marine life is no exception. While humans hold animals captive, they also affect the freedom of these creatures in other ways, such as by dumping tons of waste into the ocean and destroying natural habitats—something Sodapop notices.
Sodapop also observes that many of the animals look scared, pained, or otherwise like they are suffering at Aqualand. The aquanaut walks from tank to tank and finds the same answer each time. The creatures are so horrified at the condition that the animals are living in that they waste little time trying to free them. They successfully release the orca whale, and she thanks them for giving her back her freedom: “I should be thanking you. You saved my life, and I am forever grateful” (149). The scene pays homage to Free Willy, a 1993 film in which a boy works to free an orca from captivity. After several months on land, the aquanaut decides that they belong in the sea; along with Sophia, they free the squid and make their way back to the ocean. The squid was born in captivity but still deserves the chance to live a free and autonomous life like all other creatures. While the ocean is a dangerous place, it is a place where marine animals have the agency to do as they please and live the way they were meant to live: freely.
The Courage to Face Fears
Facing fears takes courage, and in The Aquanaut, courage is found through the support of loved ones. Fear initially motivates each of the characters. Sodapop developed a fear of giant squids when one killed his father, and this occurrence awakened him to how dangerous the ocean can be. Sodapop’s fear is severe, to the point where seeing a squid in a tank causes him to panic. The other animals are not as scared as Sodapop, but they, too, fear the ocean, and all of them seek the protection of land. They have the idea that Aqualand is a sanctuary for marine life, which is why they decided to go there.
Paul and Sophia both have a fear of moving on from the loss of Michel. Paul is deeply attached to Michel’s memory and feels a deep sense of guilt for not being able to save his life. As a result, Paul is determined to see through the project that he and Michel started, no matter what it costs him morally or in terms of time with Sophia. Continuing the project is Paul’s way of keeping his brother’s memory alive, and he finds the idea of letting it go terrifying. Like her uncle, Sophia still grieves the loss of her father and keeps a seashell he gave her around her neck. Sophia has been distracted at school, unable to make friends, and feels alone in the world.
Sodapop has a talent for being able to understand how other animals are feeling. Seeing the orca, he instantly knows that she’s scared. Instead of just leaving the orca to suffer, Sodapop becomes the hero, and he and the other animals set the orca free. Sodapop faces his fears when he jumps directly into the tank with the giant squid, noticing that it, too, looks scared. The scene’s illustration is nearly black with almost no visibility, and the narrative tone is tense. Sodapop guides the squid down into the drain so that it can be free, and the aquanaut returns to the ocean, together overcoming their fear of its unpredictable nature.
Paul and Sophia overcome their fear of letting go with the help of the aquanaut. The aquanaut helps Sophia by giving her a friend and showing her how exciting life can be again. They help Paul by releasing the orca and the squid, giving Paul no more reason to keep Aqualand open. Paul also realizes that he and Sophia can support one another, stating, “With the support of loved ones, you are never alone. They help you find the courage to move on in life” (240). As the narrative closes, the uncle and niece have learned to rely on each other, acknowledging that facing one’s fears, processing the traumatic past, and taking positive steps forward are easier with a loved one’s support.
