59 pages • 1 hour read
Ana HuangKing of Sloth
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Maintaining a Balance Between Control and Laxity
In King of Sloth, the theme of maintaining control is central to Sloane’s and Xavier’s character development. Both protagonists exhibit a deep need for control, whether in their personal or professional lives. Over the course of the novel, Huang forces them both to find a better balance, and to this end, Sloane must learn to relinquish control, while Xavier must steel himself to take control of his own path in life.
For Sloane, her need for control manifests in her demanding career and her carefully structured life. She is constantly managing her clients, making decisions, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly, even at the expense of her own well-being. Xavier recognizes this flaw in her and observes that Sloane “[i]s wound so tight she [i]s bound to explode” (10). His efforts to get her away from work so that she can “loosen up [and] have some fun” indicate his desire to help her break free from the rigid structures that she has built as a barricade against the world’s unpredictability (10). Though Sloane believes that maintaining control is the best approach to life, her own desire for freedom can be seen in her perception of Xavier. At times, she regards him with outright envy, wondering, “What was it like to live life so carefree every day? To not worry about being perceived by others or being good enough, successful enough, impactful enough to justify my existence?” (53). These private musings ultimately reveal her hidden insecurities and lack of self-worth.
Sloane’s attachment to her work and her incessant need for control are showcased several times throughout the novel. When she does yoga while in Spain with Xavier, she checks her emails even though stressors go against the calming purpose of yoga. Likewise, when she gets a couples massage with him, she is also plagued with nonstop thoughts about how work is progressing without her. While she likes to believe that her dedication to work reflects her completely selfless dedication to her clients, Sloane subconsciously uses her work to focus on fixing others’ problems while avoiding her own.
Sloane also prefers to have control over her own emotions so that she can’t be blindsided and hurt as she has been in the past. In this regard, the idea of control also extends to how Sloane perceives vulnerability. She fears that losing control over her emotions will lead her to heartbreak, which is her primary reason for cutting ties with Xavier in the third act. Her need for control is therefore revealed to be a maladaptive defense mechanism—one that she believes will protect her from future harm, even if it costs her the love she deeply desires.
In many ways, Xavier acts as a foil for Sloane; while she diligently pursues her professional responsibilities and neglects her personal life and emotional well-being, he has become so afraid of failing those he loves that he actively avoids taking on any adult responsibilities. Deeply scarred by the death of his mother in a fire that he accidentally started, he now believes that it is far safer not to take responsibility for anything. He therefore resists accepting new roles, and he occupies his time engaging in extravagant parties and foolish pastimes. Paradoxically, he feels that his refusal to take charge of anything is the only way that he can control his own life. As long as he does nothing important, he cannot fail, and he therefore never has to worry about the possibility of ruining the lives of others around him. However, because he has nothing to control at all, Xavier is soon overcome by boredom and aimlessness, and only by regaining his ambition is he able to find true happiness in his life.
Finding Meaning in Personal Passions
Both Xavier and Sloane must redefine their self-worth by discovering and pursuing their true passions in life rather than hiding from the long-term effects of their unaddressed fears. While Xavier’s transformation in this regard involves finding a career-related passion, Sloane’s inner revolution occurs when she finally discovers a romantic passion that fits her needs and desires. At the start of the novel, Xavier embodies insouciance and aimlessness, having lived a life of privilege that nonetheless remains devoid of ambition. His dependence on the Castillo wealth acts as both a crutch and a prison, leaving him feeling hollow and bored. As Xavier admits, “The money was a prison, but it was all I had” (100). However, this void begins to shift when he is presented with a challenge in his late father’s will: He must become CEO of a successful company in order to access his inheritance. Thus, what begins as a reluctant necessity evolves into a passionate pursuit as Xavier decides to build a nightclub. As he engages in this endeavor, Xavier discovers a viable career and gains a sense of pride and self-worth in his accomplishments. As he engages in the adventurous challenge of starting a business, Xavier reflects, “My entire life, I relied on what other people gave me…But this club? Everything I’ve achieved so far? That’s mine, and I’m fucking proud of it” (262). For Xavier, the club symbolizes his break from the habitual dependence and lack of responsibility that dominated the first 29 years of his life.
Xavier’s inner growth is also fueled by the realization that passion can give his life meaning. The heartfelt letter from his mother inspires him to pursue something that he can call his own. As she tells him, “The world is big enough for all of our dreams…I can’t wait to watch you discover your passions” (129), and this sentiment sparks a profound change in him. What begins as a business proposition to obtain a lofty inheritance turns into a project of personal fulfillment, leading him to recognize the intrinsic value of hard work. As he comes to appreciate the empowerment involved in creating something meaningful, Xavier’s passion grows, and so does his resilience. When faced with new setbacks such as the fire in the club, he draws strength from his newfound drive and the support of his friends and business partners. By pursuing a meaningful project and ultimately succeeding, Xavier embraces a future of autonomy and ambition, abandoning the attitude of “sloth” indicated in the novel’s title.
By contrast, Sloane’s own relationship with passion is less focused on finding professional fulfillment; instead, she must work on increasing her emotional sense of self-worth. As a highly accomplished and driven professional, Sloane already finds value and meaning in her career—but to excess. In many respects, her job makes her feel needed, but she also struggles to see herself as being worthy of love. Her fear of vulnerability stems from her belief that she is somehow “broken” and incapable of connecting with others on an emotional level. She confesses that “[t]he fear that [she is] a monster in human clothing, devoid of compassion and unable to form genuine connections” (308), keeps her from pursuing meaningful relationships. This lack of emotional passion results in a life that is dominated by control and self-imposed isolation. Xavier therefore becomes a catalyst for Sloane’s transformation. His unwavering belief in her value and his willingness to challenge Sloane’s fears help her to confront her own insecurities. In one scene, Xavier tells her, “You’re one of the most driven, passionate people I know…You think someone without passion can do that?” (207). His words force Sloane to recognize that her capacity for passion extends beyond her work and into her personal life as well, even if she expresses her emotions in atypical ways. Her growing feelings for Xavier push her to let go of her fears and open herself to the possibility of love, even as she struggles with the vulnerability that such an endeavor entails.
Overcoming the Fear of Failure
Throughout the novel, Xavier experiences a significant fear of failure that stifles his ambition and damages his self-worth, and Sloane actively creates barriers to forming meaningful relationships. Thus, both characters must work on overcoming their unspoken inhibitions before their burgeoning romance can be brought to fruition. Through Xavier’s avoidance of responsibility and Sloane’s hesitation to trust in love, the novel explores the various the ways in which fear can prevent people from finding purpose and meaning in their lives.
Xavier’s fear of failure originates from a childhood trauma: the house fire that he accidentally caused, which resulted in his mother’s death. This event left him saddled with a deep sense of guilt and a belief that taking risks inevitably leads to catastrophic failure. As Xavier admits to Sloane during their Spain trip, “I’m good at doing nothing, so I stick to it. It’s better than fucking things up” (47). This self-destructive mindset becomes his shield against potential failure, but it also leads him into a state of perpetual stagnation. While he is more than capable of excelling and possesses the intelligence and connections necessary to thrive in the business world, he chooses inactivity in the misguided belief that doing so will keep him safe. His reluctance to take on the CEO role at the Castillo Group exemplifies this mindset, and his beliefs are fully expressed in his hypothetical questions to Sloane after the reading of his father’s will, when he says, “Tell me, Sloane. Who do you think would do the company more justice? Someone qualified who actually wants to be there, or me, the reluctant heir who was placed there by default?” (135). Thus, it is clear that beneath his indifference lies a deep-seated fear of failing those he cares about. Even though Xavier’s ties with his father have long since eroded, he still cares about the family legacy that is tied to his mother.
Having been severely judged and blamed by his father ever since the accident that took his mother’s life, Xavier now actively avoids leadership roles and shuns all ambition, driven not by laziness but a pervasive fear of judgment and inadequacy. When Sloane gets a rare glimpse behind Xavier’s mask of insouciance, she observes that beneath his outward façade lies “fear of failure. Fear of not living up to expectations. Fear of running and ruining an empire built on his last name. It [i]s a bright silver thread that w[eaves] through every word and underpin[s] every decision” (135). This fear shapes his life until he begins to confront it through the creation of his nightclub. With this new ambition, the process of building something of his own challenges his avoidance and forces him to work through his fear of failure because there is no other choice.
While Sloane’s professional life is wildly successful, she suffers from a fear of failure in her relationships. Her past is marred by personal losses: a rift with her family; the death of her mother in a horseback-riding accident; and the betrayal of her former fiancé, Bentley, who left her to be with her sister Georgia instead. These experiences have left Sloane emotionally guarded and convinced that investing in love will inevitably lead to heartbreak. When the two-month trial period deadline with Xavier nears, Sloane admits, “I wasn’t sure what I would do—stay in a relationship that made me terrifyingly happy and risk it ending one day, or run back to the comfort of my solo bubble” (311). This moment of indecision illustrates her internal conflict, indicating that her retreat into solitude is her way of protecting herself from the vulnerability and potential pain of romantic failure.
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By Ana Huang
