Female Empowerment
A major theme of Mud is female empowerment. Mae lives in a house with two men who are rude and is stuck in a toxic cycle which severely hinders her ability to succeed and get ahead in the world - two things that she intensely desires. It is only through her own actions (becoming more educated and ultimately, leaving the home) that she becomes empowered.
Finding Success Despite Tremendous Challenge
An overarching theme of Mud is finding success despite tremendous challenges. Throughout the novel, Mae must find success despite quite a few challenges that she faces. For instance, Mae must find a diagnosis for Lloyd's illness, but is unable to read medical literature to find said diagnosis. She invites Henry into their home to help her with this and she is finally able to read the medical literature. Additionally, Mae is exceptionally poor and is barely able to survive, yet manages to leave the house on her own in search of a better life and success.
Caring for Others Despite Their Bad Behavior
One of the major themes of the play is caring for others despite their bad behavior. Mae, for example, cares deeply for Lloyd and his well-being despite his foul smell, lack of personal hygiene, his sexual proclivities (he previously had sex with a pig), and his occasional bad attitude.
