Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family, Responsibility, and Growing Up
Love and Fear
Social Structure, Reputation, and High School
Lies vs. Honesty
Summary
Analysis
Lara Jean loves beginnings, so she wakes up happy on the first day of school. She makes fancy pancakes, which is a tradition in the family—though this is Lara Jean’s first year as the cook. Kitty meanly tells Lara Jean that she looks like a farm girl and refuses to braid Lara Jean’s hair. Lara Jean gives Kitty her lunch, which includes all her favorite things, but Kitty just sniffs. Then, Lara Jean grabs her bag and runs outside to Josh’s car. On the drive to school, they discuss Kitty’s grudge and whether Lara Jean is as good of a big sister as Margot is. The answer is obvious: she isn’t.
Since Margot left, Lara Jean has been adamant that she has to grow up and fill Margot’s shoes. But here, when she and Josh acknowledge that she’s not as good of a big sister as Margot, it seems like Lara Jean is setting herself up for failure. It’s also possible that there’s more to Margot than just being the perfect big sister, though Lara Jean doesn’t seem to consider this.
Themes
