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Chapter 36
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
One morning, Ocean unexpectedly appears at Shirin’s home, and the two of them apologize to each other. Shirin agrees to skip school with Ocean, and they go to Ocean’s house, where he apologizes for reading Shirin’s diary and apologizes that Shirin dealt with so many stressful things that he hadn’t known about. Shirin tries to tell Ocean that their situation is her fault, and Ocean promises that he’ll figure everything out. Ocean tells Shirin he missed her, and the two kiss. Shirin tells Ocean that she loves him and apologizes for not saying it sooner.
After Ocean reads Shirin’s diary and realizes what she’s gone through, they’re able to meet on the same page. He returns to his old self, sympathizing with Shirin, apologizing, and promising that everything will work out. Rather than reverting to her old tendencies of running away, however, Shirin demonstrates that she’s grown and changed, as she makes the jump of telling Ocean that she loves him, too.
Active
Themes
