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Part 4: Always Okay
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The 57 Bus, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gender and Sexuality
Adolescent Crime vs. Adult Crime
Binary Thought and Inclusive Language
Discrimination and Social Justice
Accountability, Redemption, and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
About a year after Sasha petitions the White House to recognize nonbinary gender, a second petition is posted, and it is “pretty much identical to the one Sasha had written.” The petition goes viral and gets 103,202 signatures. The White House responds that they “understand the profound impact, both symbolic and otherwise,” of recognizing nonbinary gender. Sasha knows this doesn’t mean anything will change, but still they feel “proud.” The White House had “acknowledged the existence of nonbinary gender. Who would have thought it possible?”
The comment released by the White House may be small, but it represents a huge victory for Sasha and other nonbinary people. When the White House acknowledges the existence of nonbinary gender, Sasha’s identity is legitimized, which is the first step to equal recognition and treatment.
Themes
