Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

The week after Simon comes out to Abby, he considers coming out to Nick and Leah as well but can't bring himself to do it due to their unspoken agreement to not talk about more emotional, personal matters. Though Simon has said throughout the novel that his relationships with Nick and Leah are strong, despite the fact that they don't talk about more personal things, the distance he feels from them here suggests that it's time for that to change. This reinforces that as individuals change, their family structures and friend groups must also change to accommodate new thoughts, feelings, or interests. It's also worth questioning the truth of Simon's assessment that things work out fine when they don't talk about their crushes. Leah is very upset with Simon off and on throughout the novel for understandable reasons—but for reasons that could likely be remedied, if only she, Simon, and Nick would sit down and talk openly with each other.

After incorrectly guessing that Blue is Cal, Simon comes to the realization that though he considers himself nosy, he's not actually curious enough about other people's lives. Though he feels horrible about it, this provides Simon the information he needs to make a positive change and begin treating his friends with more empathy and curiosity. It's also notable that he comes to this realization after misidentifying Blue, as this shows how becoming close to someone else for the first time in one's life has the power to make these shortcomings clear—and further, that they must change and evolve in order to continue to get close to someone. It's worth noting that if Simon knew a little more about his friends and classmates, he may have been able to make a better guess as to who Blue is. However, all Simon went off of when he guessed Cal was that Cal had blue eyes and liked to draw superheroes; he ignored Blue's religious upbringing and divorced parents. Indeed, Simon never shares what Cal's parents are like, which suggests that even though he begins to make these changes, his transformation certainly doesn't end with the close of the novel.

As they leave the Atlanta gay bar, Simon drunkenly asks Abby to be his sister since Alice and Nora are changing too much for his liking. Abby's questions back to Simon reinforce that she's the character really responsible for bringing positive change to Simon's friend group, as she's the one who points out that the changes that Simon's family is going through are perfectly normal. Further, she suggests that while Simon's changes are certainly interesting, they're also very normal and nothing alarming. By starting to make an attempt to convince Simon to normalize change, Abby begins to help Simon understand that though it's difficult to see his family's changes unfold, it's something that he'll need to accept and adapt to in order to maintain his positive relationships, especially with his sisters.

The week after Simon comes out to Abby, he considers coming out to Nick and Leah as well but can't bring himself to do it due to their unspoken agreement to not talk about more emotional, personal matters. Though Simon has said throughout the novel that his relationships with Nick and Leah are strong, despite the fact that they don't talk about more personal things, the distance he feels from them here suggests that it's time for that to change. This reinforces that as individuals change, their family structures and friend groups must also change to accommodate new thoughts, feelings, or interests. It's also worth questioning the truth of Simon's assessment that things work out fine when they don't talk about their crushes. Leah is very upset with Simon off and on throughout the novel for understandable reasons—but for reasons that could likely be remedied, if only she, Simon, and Nick would sit down and talk openly with each other.

After incorrectly guessing that Blue is Cal, Simon comes to the realization that though he considers himself nosy, he's not actually curious enough about other people's lives. Though he feels horrible about it, this provides Simon the information he needs to make a positive change and begin treating his friends with more empathy and curiosity. It's also notable that he comes to this realization after misidentifying Blue, as this shows how becoming close to someone else for the first time in one's life has the power to make these shortcomings clear—and further, that they must change and evolve in order to continue to get close to someone. It's worth noting that if Simon knew a little more about his friends and classmates, he may have been able to make a better guess as to who Blue is. However, all Simon went off of when he guessed Cal was that Cal had blue eyes and liked to draw superheroes; he ignored Blue's religious upbringing and divorced parents. Indeed, Simon never shares what Cal's parents are like, which suggests that even though he begins to make these changes, his transformation certainly doesn't end with the close of the novel.

As they leave the Atlanta gay bar, Simon drunkenly asks Abby to be his sister since Alice and Nora are changing too much for his liking. Abby's questions back to Simon reinforce that she's the character really responsible for bringing positive change to Simon's friend group, as she's the one who points out that the changes that Simon's family is going through are perfectly normal. Further, she suggests that while Simon's changes are certainly interesting, they're also very normal and nothing alarming. By starting to make an attempt to convince Simon to normalize change, Abby begins to help Simon understand that though it's difficult to see his family's changes unfold, it's something that he'll need to accept and adapt to in order to maintain his positive relationships, especially with his sisters.