Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Nineteen Minutes, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Victims vs. Perpetrators
Vengeance vs. Justice
Expectations and the Failures of Family
Lost Innocence
Appearances vs. Reality
Summary
Analysis
The Houghtons’ dog, Dozer, whom they’ve had since Peter was three, is sick with kidney failure. The whole family has arrived at the vet to have Dozer put down. Lacy suggests they all share their best memories of Dozer, but the rest of the family is unenthusiastic. After the vet administers the injection, she leaves the room to let the family say goodbye. Suddenly, Peter shares his best memory, from when Dozer was still a puppy. Grateful to have such a sensitive son, Lacy embraces him and wishes he would never grow up.
The fact that initially no one will acquiesce to Lacy’s request to share their best memory of Dozer suggests that the Houghton men all struggle to express their vulnerability and emotions. Indeed, of the three of them Peter is the exception, and it makes Lacy happy to know she has a sensitive child. At the same time, this sensitivity will prove a liability when Peter grows up.
Themes
Growing up, Josie is the only person she knows who has never met their father. She has always been curious about him, and this curiosity intensifies now that she is taking biology and learning about how traits are passed down genetically from parents to children. She’s learned only a few facts about him, including his name, the fact that he was a law professor, and that he is ten years older than Alex. In bio lab, Josie and Courtney are partners. She is supposed to be looking up humane animal research online, but she accidentally stumbles on an article in The Boston Globe about how Logan Rourke, dean of students at Harvard Law School, is running to be district attorney.
The fact that Josie doesn’t know her father is arguably less significant than the fact that she is the only person she knows who doesn’t know their father. This helps give a sense of what kind of community Sterling is: a stable and affluent one, where deviations from social norms are unusual and thus, presumably, subject to extra scrutiny.
Themes
At school, Peter only ever uses the stalls to pee. Back in English, his class is doing a pop quiz. He dreads the look of disappointment in his parents’ eyes if he fails. Just before he leaves the stall, he hears two athletes pretending to look for him and calling him a “fag.” After he steps out, he sees that one of them is Joey, who immediately tells him, “Get lost, freak.”
The fact that Peter’s own brother is so cruel to him, combined with the mention of Josie’s absent father Logan, emphasizes the failures of family. Just because people are biologically related doesn’t mean they are truly “family.”
Themes
In court, Alex is adjudicating a dispute between two neighbors who hate each other. She goes out to smoke a cigarette with Liz, who can immediately tell that something is wrong. After listening to Alex list her sources of stress, Liz says she thinks Alex needs to have sex and decides to set her up on a blind date. Meanwhile, Peter has an after-school job at QuikCopy, which he hates. He is saving up money to buy a new computer for the game design he’s been doing with Derek. Peter was terrified when his boss, Mr. Cargew, told him he was hiring another high school student and shocked when he discovered this student is Josie.
Although Nineteen Minutes is a realist novel with an almost sociological way of depicting a plausible small-town community, there is almost something mythical about the way that Peter and Josie are connected to one another, almost as if their fates are intertwined. No matter how hard Josie tries to escape Peter, she can never quite do it. Yet rather than magical and romantic, this could also be seen as the nightmarish result of living in a small town.
Themes
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Josie looks so different now that sometimes Peter fails to recognize her. They haven’t properly spoken since sixth grade. After they start working together, weeks pass when they barely speak, only discussing work matters. However, at one point they end up playing a word association game. Josie appears to be enjoying herself, but then Matt walks into the store and she blushes, looking frightened. Matt says that their friends are hanging out at Drew’s that night, flirtatiously suggesting that Josie should come. Before leaving, he calls Peter a “homo.” Peter tries to resume his game with Josie, but she seems distracted and doesn’t join in.
The transition that began when Josie and Courtney were assigned to be lab partners is now complete—Josie is a bona fide popular girl and has assimilated into the elite crowd to the point that she doesn’t look like the same person. One of the main questions the novel asks in regard to her character is if, beneath the superficial change, she is indeed the same person, or if her inner self transforms along with her appearance.
Themes
Peter asks if Josie has a crush on Matt, which she denies. He then asks what it feels like to be “at the top,” and Josie replies, “Like if you take one wrong step […] you’re going to fall.” Peter takes Josie into Mr. Cargrew’s office and shows her that he has been watching bestiality porn on his computer. Josie is horrified, but impressed with Peter’s ability to “hack into” the computer and she asks if he can access anything else, such as someone’s address. She leans close to him and he wonders why he doesn’t feel attracted to her, worrying that it means he is gay. Josie wants to look up the address of someone called Logan Rourke, though she doesn’t answer when Peter asks who that is. Peter successfully finds his address.
In this passage, both Josie and Peter harbor secrets that trouble them deeply, yet which they try to hide from others at all costs. In Peter’s case, it is his worry that his bullies could be right about his sexuality; in Josie’s, it is her curiosity about the father who abandoned her. The juxtaposition of these two secrets shows how everyone carries around issues that make them feel ashamed, confused, and scared, yet they cannot receive support because they keep these issues secret.
Themes
Thus far, Lewis has discovered that people earning a higher income are generally happier, but the correlation weakens above a certain point. There are happiness disparities between men and women, black people and white people, those who are married and those are widowed or divorced. Sometimes Lewis feels that his life is too good to be true, although he also knows that people tend to be happiest in early life and old age, and that he is currently in what is statistically the least happy stage of a person’s life.
Again, due to the nonchronological nature of the narrative, the reader has insights into the terrible trajectory of Lewis’ life that Lewis himself does not. This creates dramatic irony when Lewis thinks that his life is almost too good to be true.
Themes
In Josie’s math class, Mr. McCabe sings and makes jokes. Matt pokes Josie flirtatiously. They are learning about graphs, and each student has to present a graph showing a particular correlation. Peter’s is on popularity; he has placed everyone in their math class at different points based on how popular they are. Peter explains that it is also possible to be a “bridge […] A person who can fit into more than one category.” He cites Josie as an example. Everyone turns to look at her, and Josie is mortified. At that moment, the bell rings. As they are packing up, Drew and John tease Josie about being a “bridge.”
While Peter largely appears to have been selected as a target of bullying through no fault of his own—simply because he is a little awkward, physically weak, and sensitive—here it emerges that Peter also doesn’t help himself when it comes to the way others perceive him. Presenting on popularity in math class is a surefire way to draw unwanted attention from the popular kids—not only to himself but also to Josie.
Themes
Josie tells Peter to never speak to her again. Matt tells Josie that he thinks Peter is right about her, and at first Josie thinks he’s taunting her. However, Matt then continues that he sees Josie as a bridge because “bridges take you from one place to another […] And that’s what you do to me.” Matt leans into kiss her, and Josie feels electrified. After, she nervously explains it was her first kiss. Later, at home, Josie remarks on the fact that Alex is wearing mascara, which is unusual. Alex eventually admits that she’s being set up on a blind date. Josie helps Alex apply lipstick, and Alex finds herself staring at her daughter, thinking of how beautiful she has become and almost feeling jealous.
Josie’s decision to tell Peter to never speak to her again shows how seemingly minor things can come to have overblown, dramatic proportions when one is a teenager. Although Matt teases Josie about being a bridge, even he doesn’t fixate on what Peter meant, instead turning the comment into the basis of a rather corny romantic statement. However, for Josie being labelled a “bridge” is absolutely mortifying.
Themes
Alex’s date is a Canadian banker named Joe Urquhardt. When he arrives, he makes a cringey, vulgar joke, and Alex immediately pulls Josie aside to express her horror. She returns to Joe and tells him that a case has come up, and she has to go back to court. She immediately feels relieved at the prospect of having a night to herself. Meanwhile, Josie gets ready for her own date. Alex wants to offer to help her get ready, but she is too worried about Josie saying no to even ask. Becoming Matt’s girlfriend has rescued Josie from the damage to her reputation caused by Peter’s presentation. She refuses to be friendly with Peter again, remaining cold at work.
It’s noteworthy that Matt and Josie start dating around the same time as Peter makes his graph. While Josie comes to deeply love Matt, it seems her initial reasons for wanting to date him lie in the positive impact that this will have on her social standing. Although this might arguably make Josie seem shallow, in the cutthroat world of Sterling High, perhaps she is just doing what she can to protect herself.
Themes
One day, at work, Peter sets fire to the trash inside a metal dumpster. As the fire spits and grows, Josie pulls him away, insisting they call 911. After, Peter admits that he started the fire because he knew she’d rescue him. Josie informs Mr. Cargrew, telling herself she is just being a “responsible employee.” However, there is also part of her that wants revenge—and she gets it when Peter is fired. Josie enjoys the social protection that comes with being Matt’s girlfriend, although she also remains terrified that one day he is going to determine that she’s not actually attractive or cool and is just a “fraud.”
Peter’s decision to start the fire—although fairly innocuous—could be read as a sign of the ease with which he will commit acts of violent destruction later in life, in the same way that serial killers sometimes begin by torturing small animals. Indeed, Peter exhibits an eerie lack of fear or concern about the consequences of starting the fire, focusing only on his goal of making Josie save him.
Themes
While waiting for Matt after school, Josie is horrified to find that Peter has approached her. He asks her to say something to Mr. Cargew in order to help him get his job back. Josie wants to tell him to leave her alone, but she also feels guilty about cutting him off. She doesn’t want to be a bad person or a bully. Just as Josie is feeling torn, deciding what to do, Matt comes over and tells Peter to get away, calling him “homo.” Peter tells Matt to go fuck himself, and Matt immediately starts beating him up. A crowd gathers, and Josie weakly shouts for Matt to stop. Eventually he does.
The fact that Josie feels guilty about getting Peter fired even though starting the dumpster fire was incontrovertibly dangerous (and incontrovertibly his fault) suggests that Josie is still a moral person underneath her new exterior. At the same time, the crowd with whom she associates—including her boyfriend—is so cruel that one starts to question whether Josie can still be thought of as moral at all.
Themes
While they are walking away, Josie hesitantly asks why Matt targets Peter. Matt says Peter started it, and when Josie keeps asking, he gets angry. He says, “If there isn’t a them, there can’t be an us,” then makes an allusion to Peter’s presentation, which humiliates Josie. They keep walking, and Josie doesn’t look back to check if Peter is ok.
This is yet another example of Josie making a minor effort to stick up for Peter, only to be reminded of what is at stake for her and backing down, abandoning her support for her old friend.
Themes
Josie is in Lincoln, Massachusetts, an affluent suburb of Boston. Matt has driven her there, eager to use his newly-acquired driver’s license. She’s told Matt the whole story about finding Logan in the newspaper. When they pull into Logan’s driveway, she is shocked to see a toddler’s firetruck there. She goes up to the house alone; it is Logan who answers the door. He immediately recognizes her, but he seems uncomfortable and closes the door behind him. He says it isn’t a “good time,” because he’s running for office. He gives her $300 from his wallet and suggests they could have lunch after the election. Josie is horrified. She realizes that, although they are biologically related, Logan is not really her father.
The fact that Josie feels able to tell Matt her secret about Logan suggests that there is a depth to their relationship and that it’s not all a matter of social protection. The fact that Josie has a romantic partner to lean on is certainly a good thing now that she is finally being confronted with the full extent of her biological father’s callousness and cruelty.
Themes
Logan asks Josie her name, and she tells him it’s Margaret. On her way back to the car, she lets the money fall from her hand onto the floor. Meanwhile, Peter comes up with the idea for a video game in his sleep. He dreams about hunting with Lewis, but instead of shooting deer they are shooting people. This gives him the idea to do a contemporary remake of Revenge of the Nerds, where the aim of the game is for bullied students to kill bullies. Taking out his yearbook, he circles the pictures of Drew, Matt, John, and Josie.
This passage compares responding to harm with dignity and seeking revenge, indicating that the former is, unsurprisingly, the better option. When Logan tries to bribe Josie to leave, she reacts with dignity, lying about her name and leaving the money he tried to give her. Peter’s response to his ongoing bullying, meanwhile, is less dignified—and much more sinister.
Themes
On the way back from Logan’s house, Josie breaks down and Matt comforts her. They start making out and touching one another, and though Josie is initially hesitant—as they are parked on the side of the road—Josie realizes that she wants to keep going. Matt gets out a condom, and they have sex. This causes Josie extreme pain, though Matt doesn’t notice and assumes she is enjoying herself. She wonders if it will hurt every time she has sex, and if “pain [is] the price everyone pay[s] for love.”
This passage starts out in a moving way, but then becomes more sinister. Although it is not stated explicitly, it seems as if Matt uses Josie’s emotionally vulnerable state to have sex with her. At the same time, the reader shouldn’t ignore the fact that Josie wants to have sex with Matt, too. The problem lies in the fact that he isn’t a very sensitive or thoughtful partner.
Themes
Peter’s English teacher Mrs. Sandringham pulls him aside at the end of class and tells him that he got an A on his latest essay. In the essay, he wrote about getting fired for setting the dumpster fire, although he left Josie out of it. Mrs. Sandringham says it really seems as if Peter has learned his lesson from the fire, and that she would trust him “in a heartbeat.” Peter imagines how proud Lacy would be if she found about his A. However, this would mean telling her about the dumpster fire, and thus he throws his essay straight in the trash.
This scene may elicit some sympathy for Peter, but this sympathy will likely be mitigated by the fact that setting the dumpster was not only his fault—it was done in an attempt to manipulate Josie into showing affection for him. This kind of behavior, while it might be framed as an act of love and desire, is unacceptably coercive.
Themes
Courtney, Maddie, Josie, Matt, Drew, and John are watching a “teen sex comedy” at Maddie’s house. Josie and Maddie are also playing with a Ouija board. Suddenly, Matt yawns and announces that he and Josie are leaving. Josie protests, saying she’s having fun, and Drew teases Matt for being “pussy-whipped.” They have an argument, and Josie reluctantly agrees to leave. Once they are out of sight of the others, Matt pins her against the wall and demands that she never make a fool of him like that again. Terrified, Josie apologizes, and Matt instantly softens, saying that he only gets angry because he loves her so much. It is the first time either of them have used the word “love.”
This is the point at which Josie and Matt’s relationship takes a much darker turn. Whereas previously there were only hints that Matt was controlling and cruel, in this passage it becomes clear that these hints are actually signs that he is an abusive partner. Both here and later in the novel, Matt displays classic traits of an abuser, including retaliating against Josie when he feels that she has embarrassed him in front of others.
Themes
In gym class, Peter and Derek discuss what Peter should name his game. While everyone else gets picked ahead of them, the boys talk about how much Michael Jordan gets paid now even after he has retired. They conclude that while this is impressive, it is only a fraction of what Bill Gates is paid. Just before Thanksgiving, there is a huge snowstorm, and school is cancelled. Alex wishes she didn’t have to go to court either, but unfortunately this isn’t the case. While she and Josie are lying in bed together before Alex has to leave, Josie asks why Alex never married Logan. Alex is taken aback; when she asks if Josie has contacted him, Josie says no.
It is intriguing that—even after her disappointing encounter with Logan and her severing of any hope for a relationship with him—Josie remains interested in his and Alex’s relationship. Perhaps Josie’s interest lies less in Logan as a person and more in her mother’s experience. Given what Josie herself is going through, she may be seeking to understand how to know if you are dating a bad partner.
Themes
Eventually, Alex explains that Logan wouldn’t leave his wife. She then apologizes for the fact that he wasn’t in Josie’s life when she was growing up, although Josie replies, “You did the right thing.” Alex says she’s not sure, then tries to change the subject. Meanwhile, Peter goes to a gay bar, and he is surprised when he isn’t even asked for ID. He’s treating his trip there as an “anthropology experiment,” to see if this is where he belongs. He looks at men kissing and feels intrigued, but not “excited.” An older man offers to buy Peter a drink, and when Peter refuses, he gives him poppers instead. The man, who introduces himself as Kurt, then asks if Peter wants to play a game of pool.
The sincerity with which Peter approaches the prospect of investigating his own sexuality is surprising, and even moving. Whereas many kids—including kids who were actually gay—would suppress all thought of queerness, Peter makes the bold and quite courageous move of going to a gay bar to figure it out for himself. The word “experiment” shows that Peter’s boldness is the result of his rather literal, logical, and even scientific way of thinking.
Themes
Peter offers to put down $5 on the game, but Kurt replies, “How about if I win, I get to take you home. And if you win, you get to take me home.” Peter says he doesn’t want to play, but Kurt gets aggressive. At this point another man intervenes to save Peter—Mr. McCabe. Peter is shocked, and HE feels that he and Mr. McCabe “share the same secret.” Mr. McCabe offers him a ride home. The drive is an hour long, and the two of them try to keep the conversation casual. Just as they near Peter’s house, Mr. McCabe explains that he's not out at school, however he also says that Peter is welcome to come and talk to him whenever he wants. Peter insists that he’s not gay, and he gets out of the car.
The fact that Peter essentially rejects Mr. McCabe’s support and kindness demonstrates the extraordinary power of shame, which often makes people behave in a self-destructive manner. Even if Peter wasn’t gay, it might still be useful to turn to Mr. McCabe for support in general (after all, Mr. McCabe would likely be able to understand and sympathize with being constantly bullied and called a “fag” and a “homo”). But Peter’s shame prevents him from accepting this help.
Themes
Josie, Emma, Courtney, and Maddie are having a slumber party at Maddie’s house. It is 3 A.M. and they are bored. Courtney calls Matt, putting him on speakerphone, and confesses that she likes him. Matt immediately realizes that Courtney is pranking him and that Josie is with her, then asks to be taken off speakerphone so he can say goodnight to Josie. Before hanging up, Josie and Matt tell each other they love each other. After, Courtney says they make her nauseous, but Maddie says that Josie is “so lucky.”
This scene illuminates two important facts about Josie’s social world, the first of which is that her friends are more like “frenemies” (and certainly not people she can trust or be vulnerable in front of). Moreover, it also demonstrates how other people’s perceptions of her relationship with Matt are wildly different from the reality.
Themes
In December, Peter starts a new job at the Sterling High library. He likes it, because none of his bullies spend any time there, leaving him safe. One day, Peter is moving a projector in an elevator when Josie comes in on crutches. The elevator stops, and—realizing it is stuck—Peter presses the emergency button. Peter says he doesn’t know how long it will be until they are found, and Josie begins to panic, explaining that she’s claustrophobic. Peter helps her to the floor, asking how she got hurt. Josie says she fell on ice. Peter suggests they play a game to distract themselves. First they play Twenty Questions, then a geography game. Hours pass. Josie suggests they play Truth or Dare.
Once again, Peter and Josie are drawn back together, either by fate or by the simple reality of going to the same school and living in a small town (depending on how the reader chooses to interpret it).
Themes
They ask each other if they hate each other; Peter says he “sometimes” hates Josie, but Josie says she doesn’t hate him back. Prompted by another “Truth” question, Josie admits that she was lying about falling on ice. She and Matt were having a fight and he hit her, causing her to fall to the floor. Peter dares her to kiss him and she does, lightly kissing the corner of his mouth. Soon after, the janitor lets them out of the elevator. Matt is standing there, looking relieved that Josie is ok, which Peter can’t understand considering he knows Matt hit her. When Peter gets home that night, he finds Lewis in tears. He embraces Peter, telling him that Joey is dead.
It is unclear why Josie chooses to confess the truth about how she got injured. “Truth or Dare” is, after all, not a binding contract. Josie obviously revealed the truth because on some level she wanted to. Perhaps she feels like she can trust Peter more than her current friends. At the same time, his dare for her to kiss him suggests a small betrayal of this trust. While Josie has confessed something deeply vulnerable to him, he remains fixated on finding out whether he has any desire for her.
Themes
