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Chapter 38
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
Nia is crying. She says that she and Aaron broke up shortly after Craig told Aaron she was on anti-depressants. Craig fears she blames her, but Nia says it’s no one’s fault. She’s surprised to learn that Craig called a suicide hotline, even though she knew he was depressed. Nia says she’s been thinking about their last phone call. She likes that Craig is “really screwed up.” Against his better judgment, Craig agrees to lead Nia to his room.
This passage seems at first to be a fantasy come true for Craig as Nia finally admits that she likes him. But the longer the chapter goes on, the more Craig seems to realize that maybe in reality Nia’s interest in him is unhealthy and disingenuous—she likes that he is “really screwed up,” seemingly (and twistedly) fetishizing his mental illness.
Themes
