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Chapter 32
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Friends, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
The Value of Art
Loss and Grief
Substance Abuse
Summary
Analysis
In the present on the train, the conductor wakes Ted up because it seems like he’s crying. Ted says it’s just allergies. The conductor says that the train has stopped again for mechanical trouble, but that if Ted needs anything, he’ll see what he can do.
The fact that Ted cries in his sleep suggests that he is bottling up his sad feelings, but they come out of his subconscious when he is asleep and can’t control himself.
Active
Themes
Ted asks the conductor where Louisa is, and he says that she told him she was getting off at the station. Ted is shocked, especially when he realizes that Louisa has been gone for 10 full minutes. He rushes off the train, taking one of Louisa’s drawings with him, despite the conductor’s warnings that the train will be leaving soon.
Ted normally plays it safe, but he is willing to risk missing his train in order to find Louisa. This passage represents a moment when Ted begins to take a more active role in the story, as he acknowledges that Louisa has become important to him.
Active
Themes
Ted runs across the platform shouting Louisa’s name. Ted comes to a young man and asks if he’s seen Louisa. The man hasn’t but offers to help Ted look. Another man puts out his cigarette and comes over. Ted changes his mind and says he doesn’t need help, but then men start to beat him, mugging him and knocking him down.
