Previous
Craig
Noelle is a 15-year-old girl whom Craig meets during his time in the psychiatric hospital. She has cuts on her face from self-harm, and she initially doesn’t speak much, communicating with Craig only sporadically and through written notes. Once Noelle does open up to Craig, however, she can be very talkative and enjoys playing a game that involves asking questions back and forth with Craig. Because of all the questions they ask each other, Noelle and Craig’s conversations help them better understand not just each other but also themselves, forcing them to reflect on their own lives. Noelle represents the possibility of hope in difficult times, and she is a positive force that contrasts with the negative peer pressure Craig experiences in other facets of his life.
Noelle Quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
The It’s Kind of a Funny Story quotes below are all either spoken by Noelle or refer to Noelle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 31 Quotes
“I have to have surgery to clear them up. You think I should?”
“No. Why hide what you’ve been through?”
“I don’t know if that’s really a question. It’s too obvious. Wouldn’t I be happier without scars?”
“I don’t know. It’s tough to tell what would make you happy. I thought I’d be happier in a really tough high school, and I ended up here.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes
It’s depressing, though. I mean, this room is what I expect a mental hospital to look like. Adults reduced to children, sitting with finger paints; a jolly supervisor telling them that everything they do is great.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes
“You don’t want any of your Anchors being members of the opposite sex you’re attracted to,” Dr. Minerva says. “Relationships change even more than people. It’s like two people changing. It’s exponentially more volatile. Especially two teenagers.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes
“You were the one who suggested I do stuff from childhood,” I continue. “I used to do these when I was a kid, and I forgot how fun they were.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 42 Quotes
“So now,” I continue, “instead of a quarter-life crisis they’ve got a fifth-life crisis—that’s when you’re eighteen—and a sixth-life crisis—that’s when you’re fourteen. I think that’s what a lot of people have.”
“What you have.”
“Not just me. It’s the . . . um . . . should I keep going?”
“Yes,” Noelle says.
“Well, there are lot of people who make a lot of money off the fifth- and sixth-life crises. All of a sudden they have a ton of consumers scared out of their minds and willing to buy facial cream, designer jeans, SAT test prep courses, condoms, cars, scooters, self-help books, watches, wallets, stocks, whatever … all the crap that the twenty-somethings used to buy, they now have the ten-somethings buying. They doubled their market!”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire It’s Kind of a Funny Story LitChart as a printable PDF.
Noelle Character Timeline in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
The timeline below shows where the character Noelle appears in It’s Kind of a Funny Story. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20
...to use the showers, then he takes him down the hall, pointing out the patients Noelle and Humble. Bobby admits that he’s also suffered from serious depression since he was 15,...
(full context)
Chapter 23
...person in the ward. Becca, a bigger girl, explains that Jennifer is a sex addict. Noelle, who is blonde and has cuts on her face, abruptly leaves. She comes back to...
(full context)
Chapter 27
...God. J/C left the previous day. When Craig gets back, he sees a note from Noelle on his chair that suggests meeting up the next day at 7:00 p.m.
(full context)
Chapter 31
...hospital, so Dad promises to come on Wednesday with Blade II. He goes to meet Noelle at 7:00, like her note said. Noelle says their meeting will be quick. She wants...
(full context)
Craig and Noelle bond over a shared interest in reading the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders...
(full context)
Chapter 32
...room depressing because it’s for adults but looks like a preschool. Humble teases Craig and Noelle that they must have been late because they were kissing, but Noelle insists that nothing...
(full context)
Chapter 36
...they would have liked to see. Johnny starts talking about how Craig should get with Noelle because she’s cute, but Bobby scolds him, saying Johnny has a daughter Noelle’s age.
(full context)
Chapter 37
...refuses. Craig is nervous about having to dance when it’s his turn, but he sees Noelle and invites her to dance with him.
(full context)
Chapter 40
...he was out looking for Egyptian music but couldn’t find any. Just then, Craig notices Noelle looking in. He rushes out to her, but she goes to her room and closes...
(full context)
Chapter 41
Craig and Noelle meet again at 7:00 p.m. Noelle is wearing a shirt that says I HATE BOYS....
(full context)
Noelle talks about her problems. She says she feels like girls have to choose to be...
(full context)
Chapter 42
Humble is back, and Craig introduces him to Noelle. Craig tells everyone his theory about it used to be people only got midlife- and...
(full context)
Chapter 46
...for Ebony, then Humble, who is going to the same home as Armelio. When it’s Noelle’s turn, Craig pulls out the brain map of a couple he made earlier and writes...
(full context)
Chapter 48
...Johnny, the Professor, Ebony, Becca, and a new guy who goes by Human Being. When Noelle comes over, Craig’s Dad can tell immediately that she is part of why Craig is...
(full context)
...convinces him to come over and play cards. This leaves Craig’s room empty, and once Noelle realizes what’s happening, she comes over.
(full context)
Chapter 49
Craig kisses Noelle and tells her she’s beautiful. They make out, and he touches her on her chest...
(full context)
Chapter 50
...a.m. to take Craig home. Armelio, Bobby, the Professor, Smitty, and Ebony all say goodbye. Noelle asks for him to call her later that evening. Craig introduces Noelle to Mom and...
(full context)
