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Chapter 127-128
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 and Daniel try to stay in touch. However, their days soon fill up. Natasha enrolls in school and waitresses. Eventually, her Jamaican accent returns, and she learns to love Jamaica. As she does, she lets go of Daniel so she doesn't get ripped apart. Daniel decides to not go to Yale, and he works and studies English part time at Hunter College. He writes poems that are all about Natasha. He holds onto her as long as he can, but he feels her slipping away.
Even though Natasha was never a legal resident of the US, it's important to note that she felt like an immigrant in Jamaica when she returned. This points to the sense of rootlessness that some immigrants feel; even though she's connected to both countries, she can also feel alone and unwanted in both places.
Themes
Five years later, Patricia gets sick and dies. Natasha considers calling Daniel, but thinks it's been too long. Peter thrives in Jamaica, and years later, he'll name his daughter after his mother. Samuel acts in local theater productions and decides that he made the right decision in pursuing Patricia.
It's possible that Samuel understood after Patricia's death that having loved her and lost her was better than never having that connection in the first place, especially since he still has connections with his children.
Themes
Daniel's parents sell their store to an African American couple, live part-time in South Korea, and eventually come to terms with the fact that their sons aren't just Korean. Charlie graduates from Harvard and seldom speaks to his family. Daniel doesn't miss him.
The outcome of Daniel and Charlie's relationship shows that not all relationships are created equal; it's not a bad thing that they're no longer close to each other, even if they're still connected.
Themes
Natasha begins to wonder if she imagined what happened with Daniel, but thanks to him, she does find her passion studying physics. She thinks about what he said about dark matter and love being the same thing. Daniel struggles to make sense of that day too, and he mulls over the coincidences that caused them to meet. He knows that Natasha would point out that they didn't end up together after all, but he also remembers her telling him about all the small coincidences that led to the formation of the universe. He believes that everything looks chaotic up close, but that order might emerge if he pulls back.
Again, even without a more concrete explanation, Natasha's discovery of physics as her passion allows her to combine her love of science and reason with what Daniel taught her about passion. It allows her to find the middle ground she couldn't when she was seventeen. Daniel's belief that pulling back might bring clarity alludes to the novel's assertion that destiny needs scale to make sense, and suggests their relationship isn't over.
Themes
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