Clive Barker's The Thief Of Always

Clive Barker’s The Thief of Always is about a young boy who takes for granted the time hes is given. He is whisked away to a place that is built upon time, and learns to not waste time, and love what he has by defeating the House itself.The role of Mrs. Griffin’s three cats are overlooked on the first reading of The Thief of Always, as they look just like three normal pets, but they have much more inside them than most cats.

This is an important topic because the role of the three cats, Clue-Cat, Blue-Cat, and Stew-Cat, are amazing minor characters that are essential to the success of Harvey, Lulu, and Wendell. The first cat killed in The Thief of Always is Clue-Cat, a curious cat that is killed by a pot of boiling water tipped by Clue-Cat

He leads Harvey and Wendell out of the mist into the real world, and then is killed for his act of valor. Blue-Cat leads Harvey and Wendell out of the mist into the real world. When Harvey and Wendell are trying to escape and are found by Carna, Mrs. Griffin calls out, “He’s got a good sense of direction! Follow him! Follow him!“ (113). This shows that Blue-Cat is an extremely smart cat. He can find his way through the mist when Harvey keeps turning in circles. Blue-Cat is also very brave. He risks his head to Carna and leads Wendell and Harvey through the mist, and then returns to the House to face his punishment. Blue-Cat reveals that the House, with all of its wonders, is prison even for the cats. After Blue-Cat leads Harvey and Wendell out of the mist, the narrator says, “His azure gaze met Harvey's for a moment; then he looked back toward his prison, as though he heard Mrs. Griffin's summons, and with a sorrowful sigh turned and traipsed away” (115). This shows that even though the House seems like a nice, lovely place, darkness lies at its heart. This also shows that Blue-Cat is not a normal cat. Typically, a cat would not show sorrow at returning to its home, but Blue-Cat would truly love to be out in the normal world. He can never explore the world of the humans, and he acknowledges that he has to return to the House.Blue-Cat is not your average household cat and seems to think

She is a smart and cheeky little cat who, is not taking orders from anyone but Mrs. Griffin. Stew-Cat is not intimidated by Rictus. When Harvey and Rictus are talking in the kitchen, and Rictus yells at Stew-Cat to get out, and “Stew-Cat wasn’t about to be intimidated” (145 ). “intimidated” shows that Stew-Cat cat is supposed to fear and perhaps take orders from Rictus, and she completely ignores him and walks up to Harvey. Perhaps Stew-Cat can see the past the dust masquerading as a person, and knows that he is not a large threat. Stew-Cat finds Mrs. Griffin in the coffin. When Harvey and Stew-Cat were in the basement, the narrator says, “Stew-Cat's only answer was to run across the floor and leap nimbly up onto the box, where it began to claw at the wood” (83). Stew-Cat can find Mrs. Griffin in the coffin, which shows that Stew-Cat has a great love for Mrs Griffin, which contrasts Mr. Hood, not seeming to be capable of love. This also builds on the theme that love conquers all.Stew-Cat shows the the value of love and bravery, and how it influences life. If Stew-Cat didn't love Mrs. Griffin as much as she did, she never would have been able to find the coffin. Stew-Cat is also not afraid of Rictus, seeing that he is no more than a pile of dust masquerading as a person. Stew-Cat shows Harvey a different view of the House. The Thief of Always conveys the point of love. Harvey comes back to the House to save Lulu,