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21. August: The Loner
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Riding the Bus with My Sister, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Disability, Access, and Self-Determination
Love and Family
Community vs. Individualism
Growth, Change, and Morality
Summary
Analysis
The book flashes back to Rachel’s boarding school, after Beth’s disappearance. Rachel and her friends speculate about where Beth could be, and Rachel imagines her homeless, or worse. Rachel stops sleeping and starts withdrawing from her classes and peers. Two months in, she’s struggling to stay positive and forgetting how Beth looks and sounds.
Rachel isn’t just worried about Beth—she also feels intensely guilty about being unable to take care of Beth, which she has always viewed as her responsibility. In fact, she feels that she has abandoned her sister, much as her mother has abandoned her.
Themes
