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Part 2: Caitlin, June 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 Zimbabwe, Martin is shocked to receive two $20 bills from Caitlin and figures she must be very rich indeed. Martin’s father knows his job is endangered because of retrenchment (when the factory replaces old workers with new workers who can be paid less). Martin’s father doesn’t resent the money from Caitlin; he respects her generosity. Martin’s mother also appreciates the money but is afraid it will make her family a target for crime. For the first time, Martin’s father’s paycheck doesn’t cover the rent, so they use Caitlin’s money to make up the difference.
This passage shows how, while kindness and generosity can improve people’s lives, there are also challenges. While Martin’s family desperately needs the money, there is always the risk that it could make them a target for robbery or that Martin’s parents might be too proud to accept help. The authors argue is that in spite of these difficulties, the benefits of generosity are far greater.
Themes
Martin goes to visit his uncle in the city of Harare during winter break. He’s impressed how put together his uncle and other relatives look including his cousin Sekai and her husband, Alois, who works in a bank. Martin enjoys spending time with this side of his family and comes away from the trip with renewed confidence that he can go to university and succeed.
As Martin grows up, he comes into contact with more educated people, and meeting them helps persuade him of the value of education. Sekai and Alois illustrate that, while Zimbabwe is a comparatively poor country, there is a still a wide range of people living in it, and even within Martin’s family, there are people with very different economic situations.
Themes
Martin gets his photo taken in Harare (wearing a shirt Caitlin has recently given him). Just as he is about to send his thank you letter, Martin gets home and finds out his father has lost his job. Caitlin’s money is all that’s keeping them from becoming homeless.
The photo Martin gets taken in Harare is the most casual one so far, illustrating how Martin has gotten more comfortable opening up to Caitlin in his correspondence.
Themes
Martin goes to the headmaster of his school and uses the money he earned working with his cousins in Harare to make a down payment on his next tuition bill. Martin promises that Caitlin will help with the rest. He asks to borrow the school computer (a serious request because computers are expensive there) so that he can type a letter to Caitlin asking for money for school. Martin is conflicted about how to ask Caitlin for money, but he ultimately decides to also write to her parents and explain his situation.
Martin faces a difficult problem. He knows that Caitlin and her family have more than enough money to pay for his schooling, but he also knows that asking them for money could affect his relationship with Caitlin. Ultimately, if he wants to stay in school, he really doesn’t have any other option—this passage illustrates how poverty limits a person’s choices. Though Martin is lucky to have Caitlin to ask, it is easy to imagine how other boys in Martin’s position would face an even more difficult problem getting educated.
Themes
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