The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The idea of escape is perhaps the overarching theme to the novel. The topic is introduced first in the form of the escape artist, but it quickly becomes metaphorical as well (see Quote #1). Joe literally and metaphorically escapes from many things. First and foremost is his escape from Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia in 1938. However, his need for escape doesn't end. Though Joe is focused and determined to acquire the freedom of his family, at times he wishes he could escape from the burden and responsibility. Joe wants to escape the guilt he feels at being the only one in his family to have survived the Holocaust; he wants to escape the fact that he murdered a German geologist; he wants to escape from himself.

Sam, too, desires escape and attempts to flee in several forms. Like Joe, Sam's first escape is a literal one: Sam escapes the poverty of his Brooklyn home by becoming successful in comic books. However, the greatest thing Sam attempts to escape from is his homosexuality, and it is a life-long struggle for him.

Rosa wants to escape. At first, she is a young girl who doesn't want to get married and live the life of a 1940s housewife.