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Mental Health
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
In It’s Kind of a Funny Story, one of the main ways that narrator Craig learns to better understand his own mental health is through art. Craig has been interested in drawing maps from a young age, but it’s only when he ends up in Joanie’s arts and crafts class at a psychiatric hospital that he starts drawing them again with new, directed purpose. Craig’s maps are based on the human brain, and on his final full day in the hospital he draws portraits of the brain maps of all his fellow patients. Maps, conventionally, are useful for navigation and discovery. Craig’s decision to draw maps of the brain initially represents his attempt to learn more about himself by “mapping out” his brain as though it were a city block. He eventually learns how to map out other brains, showing how his journey of self-discovery is only possible through the help of others. Craig’s experience with music and the guitar therapist Neil follows a similar path, as he starts by learning about himself (that he has the rhythm to play drums and dance) before ultimately helping him to connect more with other people (such as when Craig tracks down Egyptian music to play for his roommate Muqtada). In establishing this link between art, self-expression, and human connection, then, It’s Kind of a Funny Story portrays art as a powerful tool for healing and self-fulfillment, helping people to first get a better sense of themselves so that they can make richer, more fulfilling connections with others.
Related Themes from Other Texts
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Art and Self-Discovery ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Art and Self-Discovery appears in each chapter of It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
How often theme appears:
chapter length:
Chapter
Chapter 1
1
Chapter 2
2
Chapter 3
3
Chapter 4
4
Chapter 5
5
Chapter 6
6
Chapter 7
7
Chapter 8
8
Chapter 9
9
Chapter 10
10
Chapter 11
11
Chapter 12
12
Chapter 13
13
Chapter 14
14
Chapter 15
15
Chapter 16
16
Chapter 17
17
Chapter 18
18
Chapter 19
19
Chapter 20
20
Chapter 21
21
Chapter 22
22
Chapter 23
23
Chapter 24
24
Chapter 25
25
Chapter 26
26
Chapter 27
27
Chapter 28
28
Chapter 29
29
Chapter 30
30
Chapter 31
31
Chapter 32
32
Chapter 33
33
Chapter 34
34
Chapter 35
35
Chapter 36
36
Chapter 37
37
Chapter 38
38
Chapter 39
39
Chapter 40
40
Chapter 41
41
Chapter 42
42
Chapter 43
43
Chapter 44
44
Chapter 45
45
Chapter 46
46
Chapter 47
47
Chapter 48
48
Chapter 49
49
Chapter 50
50
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Art and Self-Discovery Quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Below you will find the important quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story related to the theme of Art and Self-Discovery.
Chapter 3 Quotes
She got me some thick paper—white construction paper. Later on I grew to prefer straight computer paper. I went back under my fort and turned the light on and started on my first map. And I did that for the next five years—whenever I was in class, I didn’t doodle, I drew maps. Hundreds of them. When I finished, I crumpled them; it was making them that was important. I did cities on the ocean, cities with two rivers meeting in the middle, cities with one big river that bent, cities with bridges, crazy interchanges, circles and boulevards. I made cities. That made me happy. That was my Anchor. And until I turned nine and turned to video games, that was what I wanted to be when I grew up: a mapmaker.
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This quote is a memory from Craig’s childhood that he recalls while at an appointment with his present-day therapist, Dr. Minerva. Craig is feeling depressed during the appointment, so Dr. Minerva asks Craig to think back to a time when he was feeling happy. Maps become a recurring object throughout the story, and Craig’s interest in them shows how he is interested in trying to make sense and organize things. Although maps organize things in a physical space, Craig eventually learns how to make maps that attempt to map mental spaces—similar to the process of self-reflection that happens during therapy. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perfere
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.
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This quote describes Craig’s first reaction to seeing the room in the psychiatric hospital where arts and crafts will take place. Although Craig shows a lot of willingness to try to get better (he took the initiative to check himself in to the hospital after all), he remains skeptical of some of the treatment methods he encounters in the psychiatric ward. Craig’s initial dismissal of Joanie and her art therapy class shows how, as much as a part of Craig wants to reconnect with his childhood, he resents anyone who treats him like a child in a condescending way, giving Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque erro
Chapter 38 Quotes
“Ha! Listen, for real, here’s my card.” Neil pulls out a simple black-and-white business card that identifies him as a Guitar Therapist. “Whenever you’re out of here, and I’m sure it’ll be soon, give me a call and we can talk about volunteering, and—I’m serious—I might like to buy some of these.”
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In this quote, Neil the guitar therapist talks to Craig after a session and tells him that he might make a good musical therapist himself some day. As with art class with Joanie, Craig went into Neil’s music therapy class with considerable skepticism, dismissing Neil as a hippie. In time, however, he learns that art and music have the power to overcome this type of skepticism. What Craig seems to like about Neil is that Neil regards him as an adult. Rather than patronizing Craig, Neil shows Craig that he sees him as an equal become an equal, suggesting that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi ne
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.”
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In this quote, Craig thanks Noelle for helping him to come up with the idea to draw maps back in Joanie’s art class. He presents Noelle with a gift of a drawing of a male figure and a female figure, with maps in place of their brains. Craig’s conversation with Noelle contrasts with his recent conversations with Nia. Whereas Nia and Craig each spoke to an unrealistic, idealized version of each other, Noelle helps Craig to learn more about himself in an authentic way. Craig’s journey as a character involves getting back to the happiness he felt as a child Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessi
Chapter 44 Quotes
“I’m going to throw a wild notion at you.” Dr. Minerva leans back, then forward. “Have you ever thought about going to a different school?”
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This quote is something that Dr. Minerva says to Craig during their last appointment before Craig leaves the hospital. Although Craig has learned from his time in the hospital that there’s no such thing as a miracle cure, this quote causes a sudden breakthrough for Craig that causes him to reconsider his whole future. School has been one of the most consistent sources of pressure and stress for Craig—earlier, he was so afraid to even answer a phone call from his principal that he hung up the phone immediately. School has been such an all-encompassing concern that Craig didn’t even Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consecte
Chapter 48 Quotes
“This I have not heard in so long!” He’s grinning so much I think his glasses are going to fall off.
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In this quote, Muqtada reacts joyfully to the Egyptian music that Aaron has helped Craig bring into the psychiatric hospital. Muqtada is typically a reserved and stern person who doesn’t seem to have much in common with Craig, being much older and coming from around the world in Egypt. Although Craig initially keeps Muqtada at a distance, he learns through the course of his time at the hospital that he can find things in common even with someone who seems as different from him as Muqtada. That Craig and Muqtada both suffer from severe mental health problems, despite their very Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas de
Chapter 50 Quotes
So now live for real, Craig. Live. Live. Live. Live.
Live.
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After Craig briefly acknowledges the challenges he still faces going forward, the final lines of the book are a joyful celebration of life. Craig talks to himself, telling himself to “live for real,” suggesting that there was something false and empty about his previous life, in which his anxiety and depression consumed him and left him feeling disempowered and hopeless. Craig was so obsessed with trying to achieve success through external sources (like through academic success or relationships, for instance) that he didn’t think about what he wanted for himself. His command of “Live” to himself suggests that he is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ip
