Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Five Feet Apart, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Sacrifice
Death, Grief, and Guilt
Risk and Consequences
Survival, Terminal Illness, and Hope
Hardship and Family Dynamics
Summary
Analysis
It’s eight months after the transplant, and Stella can breathe deeply for the first time in a while. She feels like she’s starting a new life, though she knows she will never get over losing Abby, Poe, or Will. Stella’s parents got back together. Stella is at the airport with Camila and Mya, and they review their itinerary for their trip to Rome. Suddenly, Mya somberly motions to a group of people. Stella looks and sees Jason and then Will. He looks sick, and she feels guilty that she is now so much healthier than him. They both smile and walk towards each other until they’re five feet apart.
Stella’s parents getting back together exemplifies the complicated ways that hardship affects family. They divorced after Abby’s death as they were unable to manage the loss. But Stella’s illness and transplant ultimately help her and her parents strengthen and renew their relationships to each other. Stella and Will running into each other at the airport is serendipitous, and it’s not clear if they will try to continue to spend time together after this point—it’s up to readers to imagine what comes next. Still, what readers do know is that Stella and Will have embraced hope and are trying to live life to the fullest—each in their own way.
Themes
