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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The City We Became, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cities and Gentrification
Community, Diversity, and Prejudice
Ethics and Nature
Beliefs, Concepts, and Stereotypes
Art
Abuse
Summary
Analysis
New York City’s avatar is standing on the Coney Island boardwalk and contemplating his spirit “conjoined” with those of Manny, Bronca, Brooklyn, Padmini, and Veneza—this conjunction being what his eating them really consisted of. They’re celebrating July 9th, the day New York declared independence from England—and their almost-three-week anniversary of becoming city avatars.
This passage reveals that Bronca was right to suspect the “eating” could be metaphorical rather than literal—which makes sense, given the novel’s abiding interest in metaphors, concepts, and other abstract ideas. July 9th is the date on which George Washington ordered the Declaration of Independence read aloud in New York City—thus, it’s a more local and authentic alternative to the 4th of July.
Themes
Paolo joins New York City’s avatar on the boardwalk, where he’s watching Jojo, Padmini, and Veneza play Marco Polo. Aishwarya, her husband, Bronca, and Manny are sitting on the beach. Manny, realizing the avatar is looking at him, meets his eyes—and the avatar looks away, thinking that while Manny is good-looking, he hasn’t had an ongoing romantic relationship for a while by choice. Manny looks away too, and the avatar notes that Manny is very attuned to and considerate of his emotional responses.
This passage reveals the ambivalence New York City’s avatar feels about belonging to a community. Although he’s with the other embodied boroughs and their families, he's standing apart from them on the boardwalk—and although he finds Manny attractive and notes Manny’s consideration, he’s not sure he wants a closer relationship with him.
Themes
Paolo tells New York City’s avatar that the situation “could be worse.” When the avatar replies that it’s bizarre, Paolo tells him that it’s New York City’s identity—which has shocked the older cities, who were assuming the situation would resolve the way it did in London, despite the extreme dissimilarities between London and New York.
That New York City has multiple surviving avatars shocks the older cities—which again suggests that the older cities have difficulty revising their concepts and beliefs or adjusting their worldview in response to new evidence.
Themes
New York City’s avatar asks whether Hong’s all right. Paolo says yes—after his unexpected teleportation back to Hong Kong, Hong summoned the living cities (the “Summit”) to a meeting in Paris. New York City is also invited. Paolo says the other cities will want to talk about—and then he trails off, indicating Staten Island across the water, shadowed by an invisible object overhead.
This passage indicates that while the embodied boroughs (minus Aislyn) have defeated the Woman in White, she remains a threat to great cities and their unique communities around the world. She will not stop trying to do what she believes is necessary.
Themes
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When Paolo says he needs to travel to the airport, New York City’s avatar tries to hide his disappointment. Paolo offers the avatar his sublet, which he has rented through July. When the avatar contemplates being homeless again after July, Paolo tells him firmly that the embodied boroughs will “take care” of him and that they “need” him. When the avatar says the boroughs need him to survive, Paolo corrects him—the boroughs need the avatar in order “to be great.”
Though New York City’s avatar is holding himself somewhat aloof from the boroughs’ avatars, he seems to have developed a fondness for Paolo and is sad to see him go. Paolo attempts to motivate New York City’s avatar to enter into community more deeply with the other avatars by telling him that the boroughs need him “to be great”—which suggests that the boroughs are not truly great as individual people but only as a unit, the whole unit being what New York City’s avatar represents.
Themes
After Paolo leaves, Padmini joins New York City’s avatar and brings him onto the beach, where Veneza—complaining that she can sense the avatar’s hunger—hands him a sandwich. The avatar sits down with the others, Manny moves to make room, hands him a drink, and welcomes him “back.” The avatar replies: “No place in the world can compare.”
The other embodied boroughs immediately make good on Paolo’s promise that they’ll take care of New York City’s avatar: they feed him, give him a drink, and welcome him. New York City’s avatar ends the novel with an affirmation of the city’s uniqueness: “No place in the world can compare.”
Themes
