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Chapter 18
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Very Large Expanse of Sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism and Islamophobia
Friendship and Community
Prejudice, Division, and Isolation
First Love
Summary
Analysis
Shirin returns to school. After she ignores Ocean in their Global Perspectives class, he catches her after class and apologizes, thinking he did something wrong. Shirin agrees to talk during lunch and tells Ocean to meet her at her tree. When Shirin arrives at her tree, however, Yusef is waiting for her. As Yusef invites Shirin to a dinner party on the first night of Ramadan, Ocean arrives, looking betrayed. Ocean says they can talk in his car, and he asks Shirin if she’s dating Yusef. Shirin tries to tell Ocean why she thinks they can’t be together, and Ocean promises that he doesn’t care what people think and pleads with Shirin to give their relationship a chance. The two share a kiss, and a frazzled Shirin proposes that they just stay friends as she rushes out of Ocean’s car.
Yusef’s presence seems to intimidate Ocean. Unlike Ocean, Yusef shares Shirin’s religious background and comes from a similar culture. It's unclear whether Ocean knows or has assumed this, but he appears jealous as Yusef invites Shirin to celebrate Ramadan with his family. Still, it’s impossible to ignore the romantic tension between Shirin and Ocean—particularly when they share a kiss.
Active
Themes
