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Part 5: Martin, September 2002
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, Richie talks about going back to college at Temple University to finish his degree. Soon after, they are shocked to get an email from Wallace saying that he is studying at Temple.
Coincidence plays a big role in the story. While it is impossible to predict coincidences, Caitlin and Martin’s story suggests that the most important thing is to be generous and kind, in order to make the most of these coincidences when they happen.
Themes
Caitlin’s mom goes to visit Wallace at Temple. Wallace doesn’t have anything in his dorm room, so Caitlin’s mom tells Caitlin that they’ll help him get set up. Caitlin, her mom, Caitlin’s dad, Richie, and Damon all go to visit Wallace. They give Wallace new clothes and other gifts, and he thanks them many times. Wallace is friendly but gives short answers.
Helping Wallace is essentially a practice run for what will happen when Martin makes it to the United States. Still, in spite of the fact that they barely know Wallace, Caitlin’s family is generous to him, illustrating yet another case in which kindness is “contagious.”
Themes
Caitlin’s family takes Wallace to a restaurant, and he is surprised by some of the things he sees, like the waitress’s tattoos. Wallace is shy but seems to enjoy trying new foods. Caitlin’s mom buys him a mini-fridge so that he can keep the leftovers. Caitlin’s mom and Caitlin’s dad let Wallace know that he has a place to stay if he ever comes to visit them.
Caitlin describes Wallace’s bewilderment at the restaurant to highlight the cultural differences between their countries. With the mini-fridge, Caitlin’s mom arguably goes overboard, giving Wallace an expensive gift he doesn’t really understand, but reflecting back as an adult, Caitlin seems to argue that it’s better to go overboard with generosity than the opposite.
Themes
