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14. First Contact, Part Two
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Everything, Everything, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Trust and Lies
Family, Abuse, and Bravery
The Value of Experience
Summary
Analysis
On Wednesday evening, Olly sees that Maddy is online on an instant messaging system. He messages her, complimenting her Bundt cake recipe and asking what Maddy’s middle initial stands for. Maddy replies that it’s for Furukawa; Mom is Japanese American and Maddy’s dad was African American. Olly declares that they’re going to be friends. On Thursday, Maddy peppers Olly with questions about where he’s from, his all-black clothing, and his tattoo. He admits that he’s from the East Coast and shaved his head, which is why he wears a hat.
Keep in mind that for Maddy, everything that Olly tells her about himself is going to be very new and different, given her upbringing. In this sense, it’s important to remember that this type of human connection is entirely new for Maddy, while it’s likely not so new for Olly. Maddy’s ability to communicate effectively with Olly does suggest that her books have done a reasonable job of preparing her to talk to others like this.
Themes
On Friday, Olly asks Maddy if she’s grounded. All evidence points to that: she logged off in a hurry last night and never leaves the house. Maddy says that she’s not grounded, but she can’t leave the house. Olly asks if she’s a mysterious ghost and then suggests that she might be a fairytale princess. They discuss the issues they have with Cinderella and Rapunzel’s stories, but Maddy insists she’s not a princess and doesn’t need to be rescued. She asks if Olly thinks she’s pretty, and Olly says she is.
Maddy’s unwillingness to tell Olly the truth about her condition right away, as well as her insistence that she doesn’t need rescuing, all read as elements of what little independence Maddy has right now. Even though she’s undeniably dependent on Mom in many ways, she’s unwilling to play into the idea that she should be dependent on anyone else at this point.
Themes
The next night, Olly asks Maddy why she doesn’t log on until after 8. Maddy explains that she’s not alone until then, but refuses to say more. On Sunday night, Olly suggests a game in which Maddy has to list five favorite things, like books or vices. Maddy says that The Little Prince is her favorite book, but she doesn’t have any vices. Olly gives his answers to the same list and says his favorite vice is stealing silverware and that Lord of the Flies is his favorite book. Maddy insists they can’t be friends because of this, but Olly maintains that Lord of the Flies tells truths about human nature. On Monday, Olly asks if Maddy is grounded because she’s pregnant.
Because Olly has grown up in the outside world, it’s possible that he’s seen more of the kind of human nature explored in Lord of the Flies than Maddy has. This begins to suggest that because Maddy never has the opportunity to leave the house and explore the world herself, her books can only do so much as she never has the opportunity to apply the things she learns from them to real-world situations.
Themes
On Tuesday, Maddy asks Olly if he’s okay and why Olly’s dad was so angry. Olly insists that this is his secret. The next night, neither of them can sleep, so they message each other at 3:30 a.m. They list more favorites and Olly grouses that every girl loves Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, even Kara. They share their eye colors and then their favorite forms of poetry. Olly offends Maddy by saying he loves limericks, which Maddy insists makes him a heathen. She loves haikus, which Olly declares are just less fun limericks.
Though sharing the truth of the abuse with Maddy is Olly’s choice, choosing not to be open with her also means that Olly doesn’t get any outside perspectives on his situation—perspectives that might, in an ideal world, help him find the motivation or assistance to get out of the abusive situation in the first place.
Themes
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The next day, they discuss Olly’s love of math, which Maddy finds surprising given Olly’s athleticism. He explains that he used to be a mathlete, but Olly’s dad made him quit to play football and be more manly. He says that now, he’s bigger, older, and harder to bully. On Friday, Maddy asks if Olly’s mom is okay, since she saw what happened earlier. Olly says she is, but this isn’t the first or the last time his dad has lashed out. At Olly’s request, Maddy tells him a bad joke to take his mind off of things. Over the weekend, Maddy admits that she’s homeschooled and finally shares that she’s too sick to leave the house. Olly points out that most national spelling bee finalists are homeschooled and then asks Maddy to come to the window so they can see each other.
This passage confirms that Olly’s dad holds unreasonable expectations for his son, which likely contributes at least in part to why he abuses Olly. Letting Maddy in on what goes on in his home, meanwhile, helps Olly connect with Maddy and also helps him truly realize that what’s happening at home isn’t okay. His acceptance that Maddy is sick and homeschooled, meanwhile, shows that Olly is just as compassionate as Maddy is, and doesn’t see her illness as a barrier to them having a relationship.
Themes
