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Part 5: Caitlin, September 2001
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’s mother begins to make a full recovery, and Martin heads back to boarding school. A couple days after he gets back to school, there is an unexpected assembly. They learn about the terrorist attacks in the United States. Soon after, Martin learns that Zimbabwe is the target of sanctions by the U.S. and Britain (because of Zimbabwe’s involvement in the Congo).
One of the big differences between Martin and Caitlin is that Martin’s school has a whole assembly about something that happened in the United States. It is difficult to imagine Caitlin’s school having an assembly about events in Zimbabwe. This assembly highlights both how the world has become increasingly connected, but also how some nations, like the U.S., have wielded much more global influence than others.
Themes
Martin writes to Caitlin saying he is sorry to hear about the terrorist attacks. He also says he is getting more serious about becoming a doctor and asks for her help contacting more universities. Just after he sends his letter, he gets a new one from Caitlin, which contains enough money to help him get a passport.
Martin’s renewed interest in becoming a doctor can probably be traced directly back to the problems with Zimbabwe’s medical system that he witnessed when he was trying to get his mother treated for malaria. He wants to use his education to help fix the world around him.
Themes
