Friendship Theme Analysis

At the center of Ali Benjamin’s The Thing about Jellyfish is the friendship between Suzy and Franny. Franny dies by drowning soon before the novel starts, but she appears prominently in flashbacks throughout the book. Initially, Suzy and Franny are best friends who have a lot in common and seem to always have fun together. As the two of them get older and approach middle school, however, their relationship becomes more complicated. Franny starts caring more about things like appearances and starts hanging out with girls that Suzy thinks are mean, like Aubrey. Suzy wants to fit in with this new group to maintain her friendship with Franny, but she also wishes that things with Franny could go back to the way they were. Suzy and Franny’s relationship deteriorates from there: Franny spits on Suzy’s face during a camping trip, and Suzy puts frozen urine in Franny’s locker as a way of asserting herself. Before the girls have a chance to make up, Franny drowns. Following Franny’s death, Suzy feels unable to make other friends, as she spent much of her childhood insisting that she’d only ever need Franny’s friendship.

The novel positions supportive friendships—old ones and new ones—as essential to both happiness and healing. Suzy begins to feel more comfortable at school as she befriends Justin and her science teacher, Mrs. Turton. They accept Suzy as she is, while also pushing her out of her comfort zone—and, importantly, they show her that she isn’t doomed to be lonely forever after Franny’s death. Additionally, Suzy calls Franny’s mom and learns from her how much Franny admired Suzy—and that some of Franny’s cruel behavior occurred because she was jealous of Suzy. Knowing this about her deceased friend, Suzy is finally able to make peace with the past and accept her new friendships in the novel’s present, which is important to her healing process. The Thing About Jellyfish shows that friendships don’t always last forever, whether due to friends growing apart or a tragedy like death. But it nevertheless highlights the importance of being open to making new friends who can offer much-needed support.