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 doesn’t like the old movies they play at the hospital, so Dad promises to come on Wednesday with Blade II. He goes to meet Noelle at 7:00, like her note said. Noelle says their meeting will be quick. She wants to play a question game with him, where they take turns asking each other questions. Craig learns that Noelle got admitted because someone caught her cutting her face.
Craig and Noelle bond over a shared interest in reading the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM), which all therapists have. Craig admits that he came to the meeting because he might like Noelle. At the end of the game, Craig asks to kiss Noelle, but she refuses. Still, when they find out they’re both headed to arts and crafts, Noelle offers to race Craig.
Craig and Noelle’s shared interest in the DSM (a real manual) shows how they’re both fascinated by mental health and want to understand it better by learning how their therapists think. Craig’s willingness to kiss Noelle so soon, rather than hesitating as he did in the past, shows how he is becoming more confident through his time in the hospital.
Themes
