Mindless Entertainment In The Wretched Stone By Chris Van Allsburg

The theme of The Wretched Stone Chris Van Allsburg is that obsession over mindless entertainment is unhealthy. One way the theme is shown in the story is when the captain mentions how much the crew is mesmerized by the stone they bring aboard. The book reads, "The crew is fascinated by the rock. When not needed on deck, they are down below, gazing at the peculiar light it gives off,"(11). The crew just sits around the rock to see its glow and waste time. They don't seem to particularly care, they just want to be effortlessly entertained, and this fascination with mindless entertainment is shows the theme. Later, the crew of the ship begins to act very oddly. The text reads, "Something is wrong with the crew. They rarely speak, and though they