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Chapter 22
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Beloved World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Optimism, Determination, and Adversity
Family and Friendship
Education and Learning
Puerto Rican Identity and Culture
Morality, Justice, and Giving Back
Summary
Analysis
In the summer of 1981, Sonia and Kevin vacation at Cape Cod. They fight constantly and Kevin admits he doesn’t feel connected to Sonia. They’ve never spoken much about their feelings before. Back home, Sonia discovers that her driver’s license with her married name on it finally arrived, five years after they got married. When Kevin suggests it won’t be hard to change it back, Sonia suddenly realizes that their marriage is over. She calls Mami after Kevin leaves for work, which she’s never done before. Mami agrees that Sonia can come home. Sonia and Kevin decide that Sonia gets the credit card debt and their Honda, though she doesn’t know how to drive a stick. Kevin tries to teach her, but it goes horribly. The night before Marguerite and Tom arrive to move Sonia out, Sonia dreams she’s driving the Honda. The next morning, Sonia drives without issue.
As Sonia’s marriage falls apart, she calls on her friends and her family to support her through it—and they all come through, surprisingly well in Mami’s case. For Sonia, this is proof that she’s done a good job of surrounding herself with people who will love and support her unconditionally. It’s also important to pay attention to the language that Sonia uses to describe the end of her marriage. It’s not a failure, it’s just over. With this, she makes it clear that she hasn’t failed at life because she separates from Kevin. Rather, her life is simply taking a different course—one filled more with friends than with Kevin.
Themes
For a year after she moves out, Sonia and Kevin attempt to rekindle their relationship, but it doesn’t work. At one point, Kevin admits that he struggled because he can’t keep up with her—he wants to be needed, and he knows that won’t happen. Sonia is surprised, because she’s never thought of need as being essential to a relationship. For that matter, she’s always depended only on herself, even though she loves her family and friends. She can see in retrospect how their marriage dissolved, but she remains fiercely independent even after their divorce. They divorce in the spring, when Kevin moves to Chicago to follow his thesis advisor. Kevin’s mother is heartbroken, having finally come around to Sonia. Sonia sells her wedding ring to pay for the divorce, and Judge Rothwax immediately uses Sonia’s maiden name when asked and corrects anyone who doesn’t.
As Sonia and Kevin talk through where they went wrong, it becomes clear that Sonia’s self-sufficiency presented a challenge for Kevin. It may have gotten her through a turbulent childhood and school experience, but it kept Kevin from having his needs met—specifically, the need to be needed by his spouse. This, once again, isn’t a failing on her part—it’s just the way she is, and it gives her something to learn from. Sonia highlights the strength and support of her community when she mentions Judge Rothwax’s immediate shift to using her maiden name. This is a way for him to show respect and insist that others do the same.
Themes
