Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Sun is Also a Star, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Immigration and the American Dream
Passion vs. Reason
Interconnectedness and Destiny
Isolation vs. Connection
Summary
Analysis
Natasha explains that she always lets it go when Patricia asks, but the combination of Daniel and Samuel's forced Jamaican accent makes her angry. She sputters that she heard him say that his family was his greatest regret, and when her dad's face falls, she's glad to see some emotion. She stops him from trying to explain, as she says that she knows how disappointing life can be. She tells her dad that he was amazing in A Raisin in the Sun, and it doesn't matter if he truly meant what he said—life isn't pretend.
Natasha is disgusted with her father’s forced accent, which points to his intentional decision to have the family deported to Jamaica. Natasha’s reaction to the accent also reaffirms that she feels at home in the US and like a stranger in Jamaica.
Themes
Natasha found that after hearing Samuel say he regrets her, all her memories of him were spoiled. She watches him cry and tells him that he doesn't get to regret them anymore, and that when they get to Jamaica, he has to actually try to be an actor and treat Patricia better. By now everyone is crying. Natasha's parents pull Peter into a hug and motion for Natasha to join them, but she hugs Daniel first.
The fact that Natasha's memories are spoiled shows that the present can also inform how someone interprets the past, reinforcing again the novel's assertion that people are intrinsically connected to their history, both past and future.
Themes
