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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Tell Me How It Ends, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Migration and Personal Sacrifice
Language and Storytelling
International Relations and Political Responsibility
Gang Life vs. Community Engagement
Summary
Analysis
Luiselli writes that it’s now 2017. She has received her green card, and Donald Trump is president. She feels as if the world is “upside fucking down,” though she also thinks that what happened could have been predicted. “I am a novelist,” she writes, “which means my mind is trained to read the world as part of a narrative plot, where some events foreshadow others.” For this reason, she feels as if she failed to properly read the political landscape that eventually led to Donald Trump’s presidency. However, she has moments of hope, like when TIIA organizes events to advocate for immigrants. The group’s first “public action” was on the day of the first presidential debate in 2016, which took place at Hofstra. TIIA members protested outside wearing t-shirts Luiselli ordered that said “Refugees Welcome Here.” Shortly thereafter, TIIA organized a soccer game, which Manu attended, much to Luiselli’s delight.
In this “coda,” Luiselli admits that she feels as if she failed to “read the world” properly. This sentiment is yet another demonstration of her belief in the importance of narrative, as she sees reality as related to various “plot[s],” all of which can be studied and—if analyzed correctly—predicted. Despite her close attention to the political landscape, she failed to foresee the rise of Donald Trump, the country’s most anti-immigrant president in recent years. Distraught at this oversight, the only solace she finds is in her students’ efforts to keep advocating for immigrants and refugees, even when the people in charge of the country are advancing opposing ideas.
Themes
Luiselli writes that Manu has received special immigrant juvenile status. He has also become a member of a church community “where he feels welcome,” and he has relationships with mentors at an anti-gang organization in Long Island called S.T.R.O.N.G. Furthermore, he’s strengthening his English skills with TIIA and attending the occasional pickup soccer game that they organize. Simply put, he’s doing well.
The fact that Manu has been able to resist pressure from MS-13 and Barrio 18 is a testament to the various support networks that have stepped up to help him. Becoming part of a community, it seems, has helped him integrate into American society, thereby enabling him to avoid gang life. In turn, it becomes clear that community engagement is vital to an undocumented minor’s ability to establish a safe and stable life in the United States.
Themes
