Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It Ends with Us, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cycles of Abuse
Naked Truths
Good and Evil
Chosen Family
Summary
Analysis
Lily’s baby shower happens three months later. After it is over, Marshall helps her carry all her presents down to the apartment. While they are cleaning up, Ryle comes home. Lily hasn’t seen him since the day he found out she was pregnant. He offers to grab the bag of presents from her, and she lets him. Lily cleans the kitchen nervously while Ryle unpacks things for her in the baby’s room. He comes out to ask Lily if she would like him to assemble the crib. Lily says yes.
Time and space have neither weakened Lily’s resolve nor dulled her memory of Ryle’s violence. In fact, the distance she has maintained from Ryle has solidified her confidence in herself. Because Lily is beginning to trust her own strength and know her own mind, she is willing to interact with Ryle once more.
Themes
As Ryle works on the crib, Lily finds herself overcome by how good he looks. Despite everything, a large part of her still wants him. It would be easier, she admits to herself, if she could just forgive him. Lily reminds herself what her mother said about Ryle not letting Lily take him back if he really loved her or their child. Lily walks down the hallway to find the crib assembled. Ryle stares into it, and she wonders if he is mourning the fact he won’t ever get to live in the same place as his child.
Even though Lily has grown tremendously since she last saw Ryle, she still feels something for him—on some level, she knows she always will. Seeing his sadness as he looks at their child’s crib, Lily also understands that their grief is something they now share, just as they once shared their love.
Themes
Lily enters the room, and Ryle watches her as she turns on the mobile over the crib. She thinks about how much simpler relationships look to the people outside them. Lily judged her mother for not sticking up for herself, but now she understands that it’s hard to reject someone who hurts you occasionally but supports you most of the time. Ryle senses Lily’s thoughtfulness and tries to reach out. She steps away from him, feeling that she has shown him enough kindness for the day. When he leaves, she agonizes over Ryle’s pain. Though it’s rooted in his mistakes, she can’t help but have sympathy for the man she still loves.
Once more, Lily’s thoughts about the intricacies of human relationships reveal how her pain has made her more compassionate and open-minded. Having empathy for others also teaches her to have more empathy for herself. Instead of feeling guilt for the love she harbors for Ryle, she understands that she doesn’t love him despite his badness— she loves him for his goodness. She can love what is good in him, but she must not let that love cause her to overlook what is bad, either.
Themes
