Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Me Before You, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Ambition and Achievement
Love and Sacrifice
Quality of Life
Fitness
Summary
Analysis
As Lou (who is narrating again) cycles after Patrick on a practice run, Lou finally tells Patrick that she won’t be going to Norway to watch the Xtreme Viking Triathlon because Will needs company on a trip. Patrick is angry that Lou won’t support him and accuses Lou of putting Will above everything else in her life. Lou asks Patrick to stop running so they can discuss this, but Patrick refuses to waste this training time and runs off even faster. Lou finally blurts out that the reason she is so focused on Will is that Will is planning to take his own life. Patrick absorbs this news, then asks to run by himself, looking crushed.
Patrick accuses Lou of prioritizing Will without realizing how he himself has continually asked Lou to sacrifice her happiness for his sake. Patrick can’t even compromise on his physical fitness regime during this conversation, though Lou is obviously in emotional distress. Patrick’s reaction to the stress that Lou has been carrying for months is also selfish, running away instead of staying with Lou to comfort and support her.
Themes
The day after the wedding, Lou asked on the online forums for advice on where to take Will for a holiday. She gets 89 responses, including some from Ritchie, and is bolstered by their support and encouragement. Lou finally settles on a ranch in California that offers a luxury hotel experience along with wheelchair friendly athletic adventures – even skydiving. Lou is hopeful that this might finally change Will’s mind. Nathan and Camilla are skeptical, but ultimately approve.
Though Lou’s family and boyfriend may not understand her desire to help Will, Lou finds a supportive family in the online community of quadriplegics and caregivers. These online forums are a real source of comfort to many quadriplegics, allowing them to engage with a wider world in ways that able-bodied people often take for granted.
Themes
Lou does not go back to Patrick’s flat after work, instead stopping by her parent’s house. Lou asks Treena’s advice about the possibility of retraining for a new career, but Treena is confused that Lou wants to give up working with Will. Lou admits that she cares for Will as more than a caregiver, and wants to stop working for Will so that she can actually be with Will. Treena warns Lou against throwing away her relationship with Patrick for a potentially ill-fated fling with Will, but ultimately agrees that it is a good idea for Lou to consider college.
Treena and Lou get a drink at the pub, and Treena approves Lou’s holiday for Will. Lou then finally goes back to Patrick’s flat to find that Patrick has attempted to make a special dinner for the two of them. Patrick apologizes for getting angry over Lou’s job, then tries to have a romantic evening with Lou. Lou has second thoughts about her feelings for Will, wondering if the safer bet with Patrick isn’t ultimately better.
Treena and Lou are able to interact as friends and equals now that Lou has accomplishments and goals of her own. Patrick finally makes an effort on behalf of their relationship, but the romantic feeling of the dinner is forced. Lou backslides from the bravery she has with Will into the safe, boring, passionless life that Patrick offers.
Themes
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Patrick and Lou’s romantic night comes to a screeching halt when Patrick notices Lou’s folder of holiday plans for Will. Patrick calls the trip a honeymoon, and asks if there is something that Lou hasn’t told him about her relationship with Will. Lou denies any romance, but Patrick still doesn’t want her to take this trip. Patrick asks Lou point blank not to go with Will, but all Lou can say is, “He needs me.” At those words, Patrick walks out of the apartment.
Will inspires Lou to do great things, such as plan an international trip. Patrick is jealous of how close Lou has gotten to Will, but his concerns about possible romance are actually less important than the motivation that Will gives Lou. Will may need Lou, but Lou also needs the initiative and drive that Will gives her. Patrick may have been in Lou’s life longer, but he has had far less impact on her.
Themes
