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Part 2, Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humans vs. Animals
Family, Tradition, and the Past
Absence, Silence, and Denial
Science, Knowledge, and Experiments
Normalcy vs. Deviance
Summary
Analysis
Rosemary writes that in most families there is a favorite child, and that, in different ways, it is difficult to be the favorite and not to be the favorite. Rosemary was her mother’s favorite child, and Lowell was their father’s; Rosemary loved Lowell most, Fern loved their mother most, and Lowell loved Fern most. Rosemary reflects that writing these preferences out makes it seem as if there was enough love for everyone.
In some ways Rosemary’s view of her family is rather cynical. Most parents would deny the accusation that they have a favorite child, yet Rosemary conveys a very clear, almost diagram-like image of the patterns of favoritism within her family. It is unclear whether this perception is born out of Rosemary’s own bitterness or whether it is actually true.
Themes
