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
On Thanksgiving, Daddy cleans the turkey and then goes to pick up Grandma, Mommy’s mom. His mother, Nana, isn’t coming—she wouldn’t have nice things to say about the food. Lara Jean tries to be “jazzy and inventive” by putting orange peel and dill in the green beans. Kitty isn’t impressed. She asks for broccoli or mashed potatoes. Lara Jean realizes she forgot to buy potatoes, so she tells Kitty to call Daddy and ask him to get some.
It's a mark of Lara Jean’s growing independence that she’s taking control of the Thanksgiving meal and is trying to make it her own. Kitty might not be impressed, but Lara Jean is also trying to change an old family tradition, which doesn’t always go over well. Lara Jean’s willingness to experiment shows that she trusts her family to support her as she tries new things.
Themes
Lara Jean cooks the turkey upside down and for too long—Kitty is concerned about salmonella. Grandma seems to enjoy the meal. She pesters Daddy about dating and later, while she’s doing dishes with Lara Jean, asks if she’d be okay if Daddy had a girlfriend. This is something that Lara Jean and Margot have discussed at length, and generally, they’re fine with the idea—depending on the woman. She tells Grandma she wouldn’t mind.
Though Lara Jean makes no note of it, she successfully cooks her first Thanksgiving meal—and it’s edible and her family enjoys it. This is a huge milestone for her, and as with some other milestones, Lara Jean doesn’t really acknowledge it as such. Growing up can sometimes be anticlimactic, as it is here.
Themes
