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Part 2: Martin, April 1999
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in I Will Always Write Back, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Kindness and Generosity
Friendship
Family
Education
Summary
Analysis
In Pennsylvania, Caitlin is overjoyed to receive a new letter from Martin but surprised to see that it’s written on trash. She’s relieved that he is alive but feels bad about the financial trouble he’s having.
Caitlin writes a new letter to Martin. She says she understands why he didn’t write back. She gives him $20 from babysitting that she hopes might be able to feed his family. She doesn’t tell anyone in her family about the money she’s sending.
Caitlin doesn’t realize that $20 is almost exactly the amount Martin needs to pay his tuition. Many of her gifts end up being exactly what Martin needed, even though she could’ve never predicted it. This emphasizes the power of kindness—it can have much greater benefits than the giver realizes.
Themes
