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Part 6: Martin, May 2003
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, by April, Caitlin has heard from all of the colleges Martin applied to. There are five acceptances: three with partial scholarships and two with no money. Caitlin thinks they’ve failed, but her mom doesn’t give up yet.
For an American student, Martin’s record of acceptances would probably be considered pretty good, but as a Zimbabwean student with no money, it’s a failure. This highlights once again the unique challenges that impoverished international students face.
Themes
Caitlin’s mom’s initial plan is to have Martin accept a spot at Villanova and work out how to pay for it later. She sends a letter to the president, blessing the envelope with a prayer first.
Caitlin’s mom prays over the envelope not just because of her own faith but because Villanova is a Catholic university. She seems to believe that Christian ideas of charity will make Villanova more likely to offer Martin money than other universities (plus it is also one of the closest universities to where they live).
Themes
Meanwhile, Caitlin holds a bake sale and works her job but doesn’t make nearly enough to help fund Martin’s education. Caitlin’s mom finally says that it might be time to break the news to Martin that there’s no way to pay for his education.
