44 pages 1 hour read

Stephen King

Finders Keepers

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Symbols & Motifs

“Shit Don’t Mean Shit”

The repeating phrase “Shit Don’t Mean Shit” is an important motif throughout the novel, illustrating the theme of How Literature Shapes Lives. The phrase first appears as Jimmy Gold’s catchphrase, and both Morris and Pete repeat the phrase throughout the novel to help them get through difficult situations. For example, Morris uses it as a sort of mantra to help survive his time in prison. The phrase proves particularly important during the novel’s climax, as Pete contemplates lighting the notebooks on fire. He realizes The Dangers of Obsession as he compares himself to Morris: They have both become obsessed with the Gold trilogy and allowed it to control their lives. However, Pete proves his ultimate freedom from Gold when he modifies the catchphrase to reflect his realization that his sister matters more than the notebooks: There is, in fact, “some kind of shit that means shit” (398). He, like Gold, realizes that life is not completely pointless, as the phrase “shit don’t mean shit” implies. Rather, his family actually does mean something to him. At the end of the novel, Jerome also gifts Holly with a shirt with the phrase printed on it, suggesting that the phrase was meaningful to them, as well.

Related Titles

By Stephen King

SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Stephen King
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Stephen King
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Stephen King
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King, Richard Chizmar
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Stephen King
Guide cover image