Previous
Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Sun is Also a Star, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Immigration and the American Dream
Passion vs. Reason
Interconnectedness and Destiny
Isolation vs. Connection
Summary
Analysis
Natasha thinks people say that everything happens for a reason specifically when things are bad but not as bad as they could be. Patricia likes to say it, but she hasn't said it about the deportation. Samuel has been saying that one can't see God's plan, and Natasha wants to tell him that hope isn't a life strategy. However, she doesn't want to talk to him at all. Natasha believes that people say things like this to make sense of the world, but in truth, life is random. She insists she's a realist.
Natasha isn't wrong; many people do believe in destiny, hope, and religion because it helps them make sense of a world that can often seem random. The fact that Natasha is derisive of this practice suggests that she doesn't find it comforting or useful. However, believing that everything is random allows people to abdicate responsibility for their actions.
Themes
However, Natasha allows that several things happened that call her disbelief in fate into question: had Irene not made her late, she wouldn't have met Mr. Barnes; had he not said "irie," she wouldn't have had her meltdown; had that not happened, she wouldn't have the business card of an immigration lawyer. Natasha wants to thank Irene when she leaves the building, but Irene is busy. Natasha checks her phone and texts Bev, feeling jealous that Bev is touring colleges without her. She looks at the card for a Jeremy Fitzgerald. Mr. Barnes had called him a long shot. Natasha reasons that long shots are always bad moves, unless they're the only moves available.
Natasha's interpretation of long shots shows that she takes great care to construct an environment for herself that's safe and predictable. However, like Daniel in the previous chapter, Natasha is willing and able to connect events together in a chain of cause and effect, which ultimately creates the sense that destiny is at work. This opens Natasha up for developing a different relationship to destiny.
Themes
