In the book “October Sky”, there is a common theme throughout the book, Determination. Sonny and the Rocket Boys often had problems with their rockets. They never lost hope, never gave up and kept going, determined to overcome their problems in rocket building, in school, in social and family life. In "October Sky", Sonny's determination is shown when he builds rockets. Once he saw Sputnik in his backyard, Sonny turned his attention to building rockets. The Russians launched Sputnik II on November 3, the rockets got together with Sonny and decided to build a rocket. Their first rocket, using cherry powder as fuel, was launched later that day by Sherman. Once Sherman called "Liftoff," the rocket exploded and blew out his son's mother's backyard fence. The boys took advantage of this experience and continue to use their determination to improve and learn from their mistakes when building rockets. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the book, following your dreams is another theme. Throughout the book, Sonny's expectations in life are to follow in his father's footsteps and become a miner. Even after he starts making rockets and they see his potential, his father changes his mind and thinks he should become a mining engineer. Sonny didn't want to work in the mine and end up like his father, he didn't want to lose an eye or have health problems like his father. The theme comes into play throughout the book, his hope is to work in the mine but he doesn't settle for less, and he pursues his dreams by continuing to work on the rockets, constantly improving them. The theme of "determination" also returns in the book towards the end when Sonny is elected to represent his school at the science fair. He is extremely determined to succeed. He had concerns about the judges being biased regarding the dangers of rockets, and he also had stress about some of his rocket nozzles being stolen. Because he was determined, he was able to overcome his worries, succeed in his project and ultimately win the national science fair. The final theme of the book is parental love and acceptance. Throughout the book he talks about how his father and Sonny's brother have a very good relationship through common interests, one being football. Sonny and his father don't get along very well throughout the book because his father wanted Sonny to become a miner and follow in his footsteps, or become a football player. His father was also not happy with him because Sonny would cause him problems, such as blowing up the fence or asking his workers to help him with the rockets. As he continues, his father still does not approve but begins to tolerate him more and more. Closure for Sonny was brought about in the final chapter when he won the science fair and came home. Sonny decided he was going to launch one more rocket. Everyone in Coalwood showed up, including his father. Sonny told his father he wanted him to launch the last rocket. This symbolized that his father accepted and loved him even if he didn't pursue what he wanted him to do. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, the book “October Sky” contains a few different themes. The theme of determination is presented as Sonny improves and works hard on his rockets despite other problems that could deteriorate his, 160(2), 390-391.