Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Everything, Everything, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Trust and Lies
Family, Abuse, and Bravery
The Value of Experience
Summary
Analysis
They sit in Olly’s car, but he doesn’t turn the key. He insists they can’t really go to Hawaii and asks when Maddy did this. She points out that she already bought tickets and booked them a hotel with her recently opened credit card. Olly asks what he’ll do if something happens to Maddy. Maddy insists that she’ll be fine with the pills. When Olly points out that there’s a lot to see in southern California, Maddy says there’s no humuhumunukunukuapuaa, the state fish of Hawaii. This makes him smile and he agrees to go.
That Maddy can easily rattle off the traditional Hawaiian name of the fish is a signal that she’s still immersed in her vicarious, safe experiences of the world—it reflects her theoretical education, in other words. Her credit card signals her maturity and independence, as it is a card she opened without Mom’s help or knowledge—and it allows her to function as an adult.
Themes
Olly’s mood improves as they drive away from his house, especially since an old friend of his named Zach lives in Maui. Since they have a few hours before their flight, Maddy asks to make a detour. Being in the car is scary for Maddy and she can’t make her eyes focus on the passing landscape. She sometimes gets a glimpse of other people in cars, but isn’t sure if she should acknowledge them. They exit the highway and enter Koreatown. Maddy marvels that all the people are real, not architectural models. When they stop in front of an apartment complex, Olly tells Maddy that nothing can happen to her. She thanks him and thinks that she was happy before she met him—but now, she’s alive.
For both Maddy and Olly, choosing to leave their families, even for just these two days, is an act of intense bravery. Maddy knows that she’s going to upset Mom and make her worry—let alone that she might die and cause Mom even more grief—while Olly knows that without him there, his mom and Kara are in even more danger. However, choosing to go together allows them to experience a healthier relationship with each other, rather than remaining mired in their respective unhealthy family situations.
Themes
