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Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Puberty
Friendship, Fitting In, and Social Pressure
Religion
Family Conflict
Summary
Analysis
On Wednesday night, Mom helps Margaret wash and put her hair in rollers. Margaret plans to sleep in them, but they hurt so much that she takes them out. On Thursday morning, Margaret has trouble eating breakfast. Mom insists she felt the same way as a girl, which Margaret knows is supposed to make her feel like Mom understands. When Margaret gets dressed in her loafers without socks, Mom notes that Margaret has to walk almost a mile to school. Margaret explains that, according to Nancy, no sixth graders wear socks on the first day of school. Mom sighs that Margaret is going to be quite the teenager. Mom always talks about what the teen years will be like for Margaret. Margaret thinks being a teen sounds “rotten.”
The hair rollers signify Margaret’s coming adulthood—but removing the rollers shows that Margaret isn’t willing to do anything to feel adult. Margaret confirms this at the end of the passage, when she expresses disgust about becoming a teenager. However, she’s conflicted—Margaret does want to fit in and not look like a “baby,” so it’s still important to her to not wear socks. Notably, Mom doesn’t seem willing to actually force the issue with Margaret, a mark of her respect for her daughter’s autonomy.
Themes
Mom finally shoos Margaret out the door. Sure enough, by the time Margaret gets to school, her feet hurt—and half the girls are wearing knee socks. The teacher isn’t in the classroom at first, though Margaret initially thinks that one tall girl wearing a bra is the teacher. Margaret wonders if the girl is new, since she doesn’t talk to anyone. Finally, the teacher arrives and writes his name on the board: Miles J. Benedict Jr. He awkwardly introduces himself.
Clearly, Nancy was wrong about socks not being cool or adult. But there’s also the possibility that Nancy is the one who thinks socks are uncool, and getting her friends to go without is a way to control what they wear and judge their loyalty. Margaret shows her kindness and empathy when she seems curious about the tall girl and notes that the girl looks lonely.
Themes
Mr. Benedict writes six phrases on the board and then tells the class that he’s 24 and a first-year teacher. He asks the students to finish the statements he put on the board. Margaret easily finishes the first two (which ask her full name and preferred nickname), and then writes that she likes long hair and hates religious holidays. She writes that she wants to have fun this year. The final statement, though, is “I think male teachers are…” Margaret thinks it’s silly, so she writes that male teachers are the opposite of female teachers. Later that day, Nancy slips Margaret a note reminding her of the secret club meeting.
Mr. Benedict’s awkwardness suggests that he’s just as self-conscious (if in a different way) as his students are. This is especially apparent when he asks students to give their thoughts on male teachers. When Margaret was published in 1970, lower-level teaching was female-dominated, and a teaching career was sometimes a last resort for men. This may explain Mr. Benedict’s question and his seeming self-consciousness.
Themes
After school, Margaret changes clothes and then tells Mom that she’s going to Nancy’s for a secret club meeting. She tells Mom about Mr. Benedict; Mom isn’t impressed that he’s a first-year teacher.
It’s telling that Mom takes issue with Mr. Benedict because he’s a first-year teacher, not because he’s a man—she implies that a person’s gender doesn’t matter as much as their experience.
Themes
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