I chose Star Wars as my resource post because when Anakin Skywalker mother dies he turns to the dark side just like Smeeks and his mentors in this book. Anakin was a good person until his mentor and beloved mother dies then he turns to the dark side and becomes the person we all quote today, Darth Vader. Smeeks signs on the be a medical officer for the Brethren of the Coast and finds the dark side (which in this case are the “pigs” or pirates) and falls for that life style just because he is lost just like our beloved Darth Vader.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_III_%E2%80%93_Revenge_of_the_Sith
ENGL 2309.010. World Literature. Fall 2016. UT Arlington 
The theme of being lost and using hatred seems to be a reoccurring theme within literature. The loss of a mother is similar to Smeeks’s loss of his purpose and identity when he begins to give in to the pirates’ way of life. I agree that he is lost, but the reason he is lost is driven by a different event in his time period.
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I agree with you on the part where there are some people that fall into a dark place whenever they lose the one they love. I want to emphasize that there are some but not all people who become that way. Though we can see in They’re Cows, We’re Pigs that Smeeks loses his mentor and seek a life as a pirate where there is violence every day in his life, but in the end we can see that he found his freedom and to him that is better than living a life where everyday is a routine. Therefore, I think Smeek found a better life as a pirate and that does not necessarily mean he’s fallen into the dark side.
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