Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Brilliant Friend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Female Friendship
Masculine vs. Feminine Violence
Women’s Work
Poverty, Social Climbing, and Sacrifice
The Uses of Community
Love, Sex, and Strategy
Summary
Analysis
Lenù begins to feel more and more depressed about Lila’s good fortune. She tries to convince herself that school is her “wealth” and begins clinging to her every success in class, large or small. In spite of her attempts to make herself feel better, she realizes, at the end of the day, she has no one to talk to about the books she’s reading or the topics she’s learning. She takes issues with the idea of the Holy Spirit as it’s taught to her in religion class—and she wishes she could discuss and debate it with Nino or Lila.
Lenù knows that she and Lila have chosen different paths. Lila has found wealth and the opportunity to elevate her social position through marriage—Lenù, though, knows that her only option right now is to continue in school in hopes of achieving the same end through different means. However, Lenù’s self-confidence has taken a decisive hit—she feels she has chosen the wrong path.
Themes
Every time Lenù tries to talk about school with Lila, though, Lila interrupts her or changes the subject. Lila accuses Lenù of “wast[ing her] time” with silly thoughts and quickly tries to redirect Lenù’s attention to the beautiful gifts of dresses and jewelry she’s gotten from Stefano. Lenù tries to get excited about Lila’s new life, but when Lila encourages her to try on the beautiful things, Lenù becomes “depressed” to realize they don’t suit her as they do her friend.
Lenù feels that Lila has surpassed her for good. Lenù was always concerned about falling behind Lila in terms of intellect or talent—now, though, Lenù realizes that Lila is living a kind of life she herself may never get to, a life that has nothing to do with books or learning.
Themes
