Little Children ending explained: Ronnie's mother's parting note, explored

Todd Field's 2006 film, Little Children, explores the complexity of the human psyche in relation to desires, relationships, parenting, and love. Upon its release, the film garnered several nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs.

The film stars Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jennifer Connelly, Noah Emmerich, Gregg Edelman, Phyllis Somerville, Jane Adams, and Sadie Goldstein, among many others.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Little Children. It also has mentions of sex, violence, and child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

Derived from a novel penned by Tom Perrotta, the film looks into the life of Sarah, who, after feeling trapped in a loveless marriage, indulges in an affair with another married man, Brad. At the same time, anxiety around the suburb spreads like wildfire due to the arrival of Ronnie, a sexual predator who targets children.

So what happens in the ending of Little Children? In the end, Ronnie's mother, May, dies as a result of a circumstance created by him. But before dying, she writes a note to Ronnie. It says, "Please be a good boy." That leads Ronnie to take a drastic step out of anguish and self-abasement.

Keep reading to learn about the events that take place in Little Children, post May's death.

Remorse, responsibility and redemption: The ending of Little Children, explored

In Little Children, Ronnie (Jackie Earle Haley) is a child sexual predator who is fresh out of jail. Upon his arrival, several young parents in suburban Boston feel a sense of heavy terror, fearing for their children's safety. Ronnie's mother, May (Phyllis Somerville), in order to 'fix' his pedophilia, sets him up on a date with Sheila (Jane Adams), a woman around his age. May feels that might help restore Ronnie.

However, the date takes a disturbing turn, as Ronnie indulges in self-stimulation with Sheila beside him, in her own car, completely without her consent. He intimidates her into not revealing this to anyone.

At the same time, we see an extramarital affair growing at the speed of light between two married individuals, Sarah (Kate Winslet) and Brad (Patrick Wilson). Sarah is married to Richard (Gregg Edelman), and they have a daughter named Lucy (Sadie Goldstein). However, the marriage crumbles when Sarah finds out that Richard is obsessed with internet pornography.

Now, in the storyline of Little Children, enters Brad's friend, Larry (Noah Emmerich), an ex-cop with a troublesome history. He is battling remorse, as he was involved in the accidental murder of a child. Because of this incident, he lost his family, as his wife abandoned him. Unable to forgive himself, he now seeks redemption by targeting Ronnie.

He is always watching the steps of Ronnie and looking for ways to torment him. In one such attempt, Larry picks up a megaphone and arrives at Ronnie's locality. When May starts to resist Larry, things escalate in a way where Larry thrusts May and she falls. As a result, May suffers a heart attack and Larry is immediately taken in by the police. Even though May is taken to the hospital, she unfortunately does not survive.

Ronnie, after the death of May in Little Children, does a mundane task in an attempt to keep his mother's words. During the time May was alive, she would constantly worry about Ronnie not being able to look after himself. For even a daily chore like him doing the dishes, his mother would be worried that he might not be able to do it. As a result, Ronnie starts washing the dishes.

Soon, he finds a poignant handwritten note penned by May to her son. In the note, May has written, "Please be a good boy." This fundamentally shakes Ronnie to the core. This leads him to smash all the Hummel figurines that his mother had gathered. And then, he picks up a knife and does something horrifying as well as irreversible. In an attempt to recompense, Ronnie castrates himself.

At the same time, Sarah and Brad decide to abandon their partners and escape together to begin their new lives as a couple. So they decide to meet at the park, where their passionate affair had begun. However, Brad meets with an accident as he tries out a skateboarding stunt with a group of teens. So he could not reach the park, but Sarah arrives with Lucy.

There, Sarah witnesses Ronnie, who is sunk in a bloody mess and is on the verge of death. When she looks at him, she somehow feels a sense of empathy for Ronnie, as she realizes that he is indeed suffering and is in deep grief. Soon, Lucy suddenly is nowhere to be seen. Sarah feels anxious and searches for her everywhere, and finally finds her.

All of these turn a switch in Sarah's mind in Little Children, as she realizes her responsibility as a mother and therefore rethinks her affair with Brad. Meanwhile, Larry, who is regretful of his actions that led to the death of May, comes to seek forgiveness from Ronnie. When Larry arrives and sees Ronnie in this condition, he rushes him to the hospital. In the same hospital, Brad is also admitted after the accident, and we see his wife Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) appearing at the hospital.

Ronnie's redemption triggers his lamentation after his mother passes away. A sense of humanity and accountability finally dawns upon him, and it begins from the time he washes the dishes.

Later, when he mutilates himself, even though it does not erase or excuse the harm he has done all along, it is representative of Ronnie's guilt and answerability to himself in Little Children. This epiphany in his character is stimulated by the note from his late mother. Thus, the note acts as an agent that alters Ronnie's character-arc.