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
As soon as she's out of the USCIS building, Natasha dials Jeremy Fitzgerald's number. The receptionist sounds like she's in a construction zone, and Natasha hesitates when the woman asks for her issue. She explains to the reader that she's only ever told Bev that she's an undocumented immigrant. However, Natasha tells the receptionist about coming to the US when she was eight, the DUI, and Lester Barnes's referral. The woman books Natasha an appointment.
Telling the receptionist the truth about her issue is the first time in the novel that Natasha is forced to trust and connect with others, and therefore marks a turning point in her development. When the woman is able to book an appointment, it suggests that honesty and vulnerability can yield positive results.
Themes
Natasha has several hours before her appointment. She considers walking by her school to see it for the last time. Instead, she decides to walk to Attorney Fitzgerald's office near Times Square and stop at her favorite vinyl store on the way. She puts on nineties grunge rock and listens as she walks.
Natasha cares deeply about this type of music, which illustrates the fact that she is passionate, and emphasizes her loneliness—the grunge rock voices her own loneliness and emotions.
Themes
