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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Such a Fun Age, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
External Behavior vs. Internal Truth
White Guilt, Ignorance, and Redemption
The Quest for Meaning
Race, Class, and Privilege
Summary
Analysis
Alix examines herself in the mirror before walking downstairs to greet Emira. When she opens the door, she’s suddenly face-to-face with Emira—and Kelley Copeland. Seeing Kelley sends Alix 15 years into the past. The way he said her name, “Alex,” is full of pity and disgust. She can’t believe this is happening. Emira, unaware of what’s going on, laughs at Alix’s puzzled expression. As Alix leads Kelley and Emira into her house, all of her Thanksgiving decorations suddenly look gaudy and wrong; they look like the kind of thing her parents would get—even though Alix had bought all the kitschy stuff as a joke.
Alix’s kitschy Thanksgiving decorations now embarrass her—even if she intended for them to be ironic—because she’s hyper sensitive about flaunting her material wealth in front of Kelley, who rejected her so many years ago on the basis that she was prejudiced and elitist. She’s further alluding to this anxiety when she thinks that they look like something her parents would get. She knows that Kelley will seize on a detail like this and use it against her. So, just like that, Alix’s Thanksgiving presentation doesn’t reflect the life she wants to project to someone like Kelley, and so she loses the power to control how others perceive her.
Themes
Alix’s friends have no idea what’s going on. They greet Emira warmly and excitedly; Tamra says, “Bring it in, sister,” and wraps Emira in a hug. Meanwhile, Alix addresses Kelley, noting that he looks exactly the same. Kelley replies, “I see nothing has changed for you either.” But before Alix can respond, Peter walks over and introduces himself to Kelley, saying “Peter Chamberlain” in his news anchor voice.
Tamra, a Black woman, makes an effort to connect with Emira over their racial identity. Meanwhile, Kelley’s remark that “nothing has changed for [Alix]” confirms Alix’s fear that Kelley will see her kitschy Thanksgiving decorations and assume she’s just as put-on and out-of-touch as her parents. Peter’s confident, booming news anchor voice, so evocative of white male privilege, heightens the effect.
Themes
Alix stands to the side and watches her friends fuss over Emira. Then Alix catches Jodi’s eye and discreetly calls her over. They head into the laundry room, and the other friends eventually follow. Once they are alone, Alix tells them that Kelley is the high school boyfriend who “ruined [her] fucking life.” Alix starts to panic over how wrong everything is: she’s still overweight, and her house is filled with annoying children. She considers all the fantasies she’s had about how her and Kelley’s reunion would play out. In one scenario, she runs into Kelley and a girlfriend when they’re on a vacation in New York and gives them tips about where to go. In another, she imagines running into a fat, middle-aged Kelley at a book-signing for her latest book. Kelley stands beside his young daughter—a huge fan of Alix’s—as Alix signs her book.
Alix’s fantasies about seeing Kelley again share the element of control that Alix relies on to feel happy, successful, and fulfilled in her life. This unexpected reunion is so unsettling for Alix, then, because she hasn’t been able to prepare for it, and it robs her of the ability to control the situation. If she had the choice, she might have decorated more minimally, for instance. Another important detail to note is that Alix is obviously still affected by her breakup with Kelley, even 15 years later. So the reader should interpret any move Alix might make to interfere in Kelley and Emira’s relationship with this in mind. As the novel has made abundantly clear, Alix often does the right thing—but often for the wrong, selfish reason.
Themes
Tamra reminds Alix that there’s a party going on and it’s weird for her to be holed up in the laundry room. Meanwhile, the collective children cry out for their mothers. As Tamra lifts Cleo up to sniff her diaper, Alix thinks to herself, “Oh my God, my friends are such MOMS.” She’s suddenly embarrassed about many aspects of her life—such as the fact that she went to bed happy last night once she realized that she would have five African American guests at her Thanksgiving.
Again, Alix’s Thanksgiving isn’t projecting the sleek, professional atmosphere she’s wanted for her and Kelley’s reunion. It’s painfully domestic and uncool. Not only does this reinforce Alix’s fixation on outer appearances, but it also reinforces how unfulfilling she finds motherhood. She’s ashamed to be a mother and have mother-friends—she thinks Kelley will find it unattractive and uninteresting. Alix’s excitement about having so many African American guests at her Thanksgiving also reinforces her superficiality, as she’s obsessed with seeming socially conscious.
Themes
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Alix decides not to hold off on telling Emira and Peter about the Kelley situation. In the meantime, Tamra volunteers to handle Emira. Rachel notes what a shame the situation is, though, since Emira and Kelley would have such beautiful babies together.
Alix’s decision not to tell Emira is self-centered, as usual: she assumes that Kelley, Emira’s boyfriend, hasn’t already filled Emira in on the situation. Rachel’s remark about Kelley and Emira making beautiful babies is further evidence of the shallowness of Alix’s friends, too.
Themes
