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Chapter 14
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
Samuel moved to New York City when Natasha was six years old. He was supposed to establish himself as an actor on Broadway and then send for his family. Natasha remembers listening to Patricia call him in America, and after a year, Samuel's voice changed. He didn't sound happy, and his accent was slipping. Patricia began saying they weren't a family anymore.
Samuel came to the US to follow his dreams and, by extension, the American dream: the idea that someone can work hard and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, achieving fame and financial fortune along the way.
Themes
After two years, Natasha and Patricia flew to America. Natasha didn't know what it meant to be undocumented: she'd never get to go home again. At the airport, Samuel seemed happy to see her, and he still obviously loved her. He found his family a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and took a security job working the graveyard shift, thinking he could audition during the day. This never happened. There were no parts, and the Jamaican accent wouldn't go away completely. Samuel never got used to the constant rejection. He began to wonder whether he or his dreams would last longer.
Thus far, the American dream hasn't worked out for Natasha's family, and Samuel appears to no longer believe in it. His frustrations about his accent in particular suggest that the American dream is only possible for certain people. Notably, it's Samuel's inability to provide for his family that causes him to lose hope and withdraw, which links success to connection.
Themes
