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Part Four
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Klara and the Sun, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Meaning of Love
Costs and Benefits of Progress
Faith and Hope
Environmentalism
Summary
Analysis
Josie starts becoming weaker 11 days after returning from the city. She has periods of strange breathing when she’s only partly awake. Meanwhile, Klara begins to help Rick with his studies. He comes and visits Josie, but she’s only able to stay awake for short periods of time.
The fact that Josie has trouble breathing could be symbolically connected to the big pollution-spewing Cootings Machine from the end of Part Four. Though that specific machine may not literally be causing her disease, air pollution makes it more difficult for everyone to breath.
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On one visit, Klara asks Rick if he’ll walk with her outside. Rick says Josie is worse than she’s ever been before and that the doctor and the Mother have given up hope. Klara, however, believes there is still hope and that help might come from somewhere they don’t expect.
Klara’s hope seems to be because of her growing faith in the power of the Sun, despite all the signs that things are getting worse.
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Klara says she must go back to McBain’s barn right before the Sun goes down. Rick says he’ll help. Klara asks Rick to really think and tell the truth about something: is the love between Rick and Josie genuine? Rick says he doesn’t have to think—the answer is yes. Klara is happy. They make plans to meet that evening.
That evening, Rick again carries Klara to the barn. He allows her to go inside alone and says he’ll be waiting in the same place as the last time. Just like the previous time, the barn fills with the sun’s orange light. Klara begins forming words in her mind to address the Sun again.
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Klara begs the Sun’s forgiveness for failing to stop the Cootings Machine’s pollution, but she asks the Sun to recognize her attempts to stop pollution. She once again asks the Sun to help Klara as it helped Beggar Man. She says she willingly gave up some of her fluid and would willingly give more, even all of it, to help Josie.
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Thinking back to the conversation between Vance and Rick, Klara tells the Sun that she knows favoritism isn’t a good thing. Still, she says that surely young people in love are the most deserving of the Sun’s help. The Sun goes most of the way down, but there’s one particularly bright spot left. It turns out to be some sheets of glass that Mr. McBain left around the barn. Then the Sun finally disappears all the way.
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Literary Devices
In the following days, the Mother and Josie’s doctor argue about whether Josie should go to a hospital. The adults all take turns watching Josie, even though they know that Klara is as good as anyone at spotting danger signs in Josie’s health. The normal routine is disrupted, and no one takes meals at the usual time.
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One day when Rick is visiting, the Mother pulls him aside to ask if he feels like he won. Rick doesn’t seem to understand. The Mother says that Josie bet high—she (the Mother) might have shaken the dice, but Josie was the one who gambled (by being lifted). And Rick played it safe. Does Rick feel like a winner, she wonders. The Mother says that Josie has been excited about the whole world for her entire life. She asks Rick to think about his future and if his life is even worth anything, since he gambled for such low stakes.
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Although Josie usually isn’t well enough to talk, Rick says that he spoke to her recently. He says that Josie gave him a message to pass on to the Mother at the correct time. The message was that Josie will always love the Mother, and that she would make the exact same choice about being lifted if she had to do it again.
The Mother is surprised by the message and can’t respond. Klara interrupts them and says that they have to go upstairs at once because the Sun is coming out. Rick and the Mother are worried, but they find that Josie is sleeping as normal.
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Josie wakes up and asks what’s going on. She asks if a blind is stuck and wonders why so many people are in her room. She says she feels better. The Mother says they should assume nothing, just take things one step at a time.
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