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
Armelio walks around announcing that Craig will take requests for artwork that afternoon, in preparation for him leaving the next day. Craig starts with a brain map for Armelio, who gives Craig his phone number at the adult home he’ll be going to. He then makes one for Ebony, then Humble, who is going to the same home as Armelio. When it’s Noelle’s turn, Craig pulls out the brain map of a couple he made earlier and writes his phone number on the back. Noelle pretends not to like it, then kisses him on the cheek.
The experience of drawing brain maps for everyone else shows how Craig’s own journey of self-discovery is also connected to him getting to better know people around him. By trying to draw a map of everyone else’s brain, Craig tries to understand the other patients, and in turn, this helps him to better understand how brains in general—including his own—work.
Themes
Next, Craig draws brain maps for Bobby and Johnny. Johnny wonders whether they’re supposed to rip it in half to each have part, but Bobby suggests photocopying it when they get out. Craig is surprised that Bobby doesn’t want to give out his phone number, but Bobby says it’s probably for the best if he just remains a memory for Craig. He doesn’t want Craig to call and find out that Bobby has disappeared or overdosed. Craig thinks this is pessimistic at first but eventually agrees it’s a good idea.
Craig’s parting with Bobby offers a bittersweet but realistic ending to their friendship. One could interpret Bobby’s decision to break contact with Craig as noble and self-sacrificing, but one could also interpret it as a sign that despite Craig’s recovery, Bobby himself still deals with self-esteem issues. Either way, this goodbye helps Craig learn that lesson that even if he learns to manage his own symptoms, not everyone will have that same outcome.
Themes
