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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Red, White & Royal Blue, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sexuality, Desire, and Duty
Media, Public Relations, and Gossip
Family and Support
Friendship and Honesty
National Politics and Social Issues
Summary
Analysis
Alex can’t stop thinking about the kiss, no matter what he does. He hasn’t told anyone, and Henry isn’t answering any of Alex’s texts or calls. Days pass, and finally, June insists that Alex needs to come run with her. They run around the Reflecting Pool while Cash looks on. Alex thinks about whether he’s straight. He likes kissing girls—but he and Liam also had a few sexual experiences with each other in high school. That was just them being horny best friends, Alex reasons. But he also suspects straight people don’t have to convince themselves they’re straight. Alex also knows that being something other than straight would damage the fact that as things are, he enjoys universal appeal as the First Family’s “heartthrob.” He wants Ellen to get reelected smoothly. And as for his own congressional dreams, guys who kiss English princes don’t get to represent Texas.
Alex, it’s clear, has always thought of himself as straight, and yet his inner monologue also highlights that he’s definitely had romantic or sexual thoughts about men for some time, dating back to at least high school. And yet, things are more complex for Alex than they might be for someone who isn’t in the public eye. While Ellen’s association with the Democratic Party suggests she’d still accept her son, Alex also recognizes that his not being straight could pose a problem for her reelection campaign, given that presidential candidates generally try to appeal to as many people as possible, including, in this particular case, socially conservative voters. Finally, Alex also fears that being anything but straight might compromise his own ability to get elected one day. For now, he believes Texas—the state he’d ideally represent—is perhaps too conservative to elect someone who’s gay or bisexual.
Themes
Alex gets caught up in thinking about Henry, and he falls and skins his knee. June demands to know what Alex is thinking about, but he insists he’s fine. Back at the Residence, Alex acknowledges to himself that he’s been attracted to Henry for a while—as well as to men like Shaan, Liam, Rafael Luna, and Han Solo. He flips through a binder from Ellen’s campaign about reaching LGBTQ+ voters, lingering on the bisexual section. Later, he begs Ellen to put him on the campaign job now. She complies, and Alex starts on Monday. He works very hard to not punch his cube mate, WASPy Hunter, as he puts in lots of hours working, doing homework, and running. Despite his best efforts, Alex thinks of Henry constantly. He also realizes he’s jealous of Nora, who makes friends easily. Alex just makes acquaintances. Henry is the one exception.
June is pretty attuned to Alex, so she knows he’s preoccupied with something. For now, though, Alex isn’t ready to be honest with his sister, though he's starting to be honest with himself about his attraction to men in general and Henry in particular. However, this remains wildly uncomfortable for Alex, hence his retreat into the campaign job as soon as he can convince Ellen to let him work. That is, even as Alex begins to discover new things about himself, he runs from those revelations rather than actually accepting them. Still, it's also a sign of Alex’s development that he now seems to recognize (and take issue with) the fact that he doesn’t tend to make friends with people. Identifying this as a problem leaves room for Alex to go on to remedy it.
Themes
Finally, Alex decides to ask Nora for help. She’s extremely busy with work stuff and doesn’t really date, but she’s “vaguely bisexual.” After letting her ramble about data for 20 minutes, Alex awkwardly asks her what the chances are that he likes guys and reveals that Henry kissed him on New Year’s Eve. She’s impressed—but not surprised. Henry, she insists, is extremely, and very obviously, gay. Alex had no idea, and he notes that Henry constantly dates girls. But Nora insists that princes don’t get to be gay. This is why all the dates happen with photographers present. Alex shares a little about the kiss, ready to die of embarrassment at Nora’s smug reactions.
Themes
When Nora asks if Alex liked it and points out that it’s very obvious Alex has wanted this for a long time, Alex is shocked. Nora tells him to be quiet and listen. He’s been far too obsessed with Henry for years, even more so since the wedding, and he and Henry know each other’s sleep schedules. He ignored all the other hot people at the New Year’s party and liked kissing Henry. What this means, she suggests, should be obvious. But Alex still isn’t sure if he’s really bi, and Nora’s explanation of how she discovered she was bi is very anticlimactic and unhelpful. She says Henry is ignoring Alex because he’s scared, and it’s up to Alex to do something.
Themes
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Alex has to give a speech in Nebraska this weekend, and he’s going to fail his first exam for Ethical Issues in International Relations. When he gets back to the Residence, June tosses him a few tabloids that have covered him and Henry. The bit on Henry is a picture of him kissing a girl—and Alex is enraged. It’s in People, which means Henry’s people gave it to People, so obviously Henry is playing Alex. But then Alex remembers what Nora said. Henry is probably trying to create the impression he’s straight, since princes can’t be gay. Alex is suddenly sad, and he realizes that he’s probably not straight if he reacts this way to Henry kissing a girl. He calls Liam and awkwardly asks if he missed that they had a thing in high school. Liam is incredulous—obviously they did, and he’s gay.
