Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Health
Art and Self-Discovery
Peer Pressure vs. Self-Empowerment
Friendship and Romance
Summary
Analysis
Craig, the narrator, wants to kill himself, and this makes it difficult for him to talk to other people. He’s at his friend Aaron’s house with his other friend Ronny and with Aaron’s girlfriend, Nia. Aaron offers Craig marijuana, but he passes. Craig seems zoned out, so Nia asks if he’s okay. Craig reassures her that he is. He goes to the bathroom to find some peace. He sees himself in the mirror and feels like he always looks like he’s about to cry.
The beginning of the novel introduces the main character, Craig. It establishes the contrast between how Craig might seem on the outside (a regular teenager hanging out with friends) and how he feels on the inside (suicidally depressed). As this passage shows, the other people in Craig’s life don’t realize yet that anything is wrong, so he has to carry this burden on his own.
Themes
