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Part 6: Caitlin, August 12, 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 Zimbabwe, Martin gets a call three hours before his flight is scheduled to leave. Caitlin’s mom sounds upset and says they’re still working on getting him to come. Martin is very disappointed.
The moments leading up to Martin’s departure are a stressful time for everyone, in part because there aren’t many flights out of Zimbabwe, and that makes the timing crucial.
Themes
Wallace’s parents say that they’re taking Martin to the airport and that he’ll get on a plane somehow. When Martin gets there, a manager is on the phone talking to Caitlin’s dad. Five minutes later, Martin has a ticket.
Though Martin’s situation seemed dire for a moment, Caitlin’s dad’s intervention shows that with enough money, many seemingly insurmountable problems simply go away.
Themes
Martin boards a plane for the first time. He looks around at the other people, many of them tourists with strange accents. At a layover in Johannesburg, Martin buys McDonald’s and has his first hamburger. The next stop is Philadelphia.
Once he is on the plane, Martin is finally reassured that nothing will stop him from getting to the United States. This allows him to finally enjoy himself, which is why he splurges on a meal that is expensive for him.
Themes
