Although the theme of "A Thief in the Village" is that people's appearances can be misleading, its larger purpose is to show part of life in rural Jamaica. A world apart from the vacation resorts, glamorous beaches, and beautiful ocean vistas highlighted in glossy travel advertisements is an everyday Jamaica composed of people whose lives follow routines, habits, and patterns little affected by mechanisms of mass tourism. "A Thief in the Village" is a successful short story only to the degree that it faithfully portrays its characters and their lives.

The story shows part of how the community is organized, with the District Constable taking a leading role. It shows some of the principal concerns of the people in the community—their need for connections to the outside world, their worry about feeding and clothing themselves, and their need for security. These needs are universal...