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
Chris calls that afternoon and tells Lara Jean to meet her at the mall; she needs Lara Jean’s opinion on a leather jacket. Lara Jean is a “skittish driver,” so she tries to refuse, but Chris points out that Lara Jean has to practice in order to get better. Now, Lara Jean is in Margot’s car, driving. She hates changing lanes and going fast, and she always gets lost. She’s never had to learn how to get places, since Margot always drove—but now Lara Jean has to do better, since Kitty will need someone to drive her places. But it feels silly to use a GPS; Lara Jean should know how to get around town.
The car symbolizes independence and maturity—and Lara Jean, as a “skittish driver,” isn’t quite ready to handle the responsibility yet. Her hesitance to take over Margot’s role is also a sign that Lara Jean isn’t yet comfortable with being the oldest sister at home. Without Margot, though, Lara Jean knows she has to step up, whether she’s ready or not, because Kitty needs her.
Themes
Everything is going well today—until Lara Jean takes a shortcut and gets lost. At a four-way stop sign, Lara Jean looks both ways and speeds ahead. She feels a car crash into her on the right and screams, unable to breathe. When she gets out, the other driver demands to know if Lara Jean was texting. Seeing that she’s close to tears, the driver says his car is fine and offers to call someone for Lara Jean. Lara Jean refuses, and the man drives off.
For Lara Jean, getting into a car accident because she made a mistake (not stopping at the stop sign) reinforces that she’s not ready to drive—or, for that matter, to be a responsible big sister to Kitty. Growing up and becoming more confident and responsible clearly isn’t going to be a smooth process.
Themes
Lara Jean sits on the curb and stares at the car. She’s wrecked it after two hours. She sobs; Daddy and Margot will be disappointed. Finally, Lara Jean calls Josh and asks him to come get her. He says he’ll be there soon. A minute later, Lara Jean’s classmate Peter Kavinsky pulls up in his fancy black Audi and asks if she’s okay. Lara Jean waves him off when he gets out of the car, but he sits down next to her. They used to be part of a gang of friends that included John Ambrose McClaren, Genevieve, and sometimes Chris. They all used to live close together, but since then, most of the kids have moved to new neighborhoods. Lara Jean, Genevieve, and Peter aren’t friends anymore, so this is weird.
The fact that Lara Jean calls Josh to come get her instead of her father speaks to how disconnected Daddy is from his daughters. And as Lara Jean thinks about how much her group of friends has changed over the last few years, it shows that even if she still feels young and immature, her world is still changing. It’s uncomfortable for her to have Peter with her, as it feels like a return to a different era.
Themes
Peter’s phone buzzes; it’s Genevieve, his girlfriend. Lara Jean wonders what it’s like to have power over a boy, like Genevieve has over Peter. Peter offers to call Triple A, but Lara Jean refuses. As he gets back in his car, Lara Jean notes that Peter looks like a handsome World War I soldier. He was also Lara Jean’s first kiss four years ago.
Refusing Peter’s offer to call Triple A reflects Lara Jean’s discomfort relying on anyone but family and Josh for help. And describing Peter as being so handsome makes it seem like Lara Jean thinks he (or guys like him) are out of her league.
Themes
Get the entire To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before LitChart as a printable PDF.
Josh shows up a minute later, angry that Lara Jean didn’t give him the right address. He calls Triple A, and then they sit in his air-conditioned car. Lara Jean almost climbs into his backseat, until she realizes Margot isn’t here. They discuss that Margot will be angry about the accident, and Lara Jean swears Josh to secrecy. As Lara Jean wonders how to tell Daddy, Josh asks if Lara Jean is going to ignore him now that he and Margot are broken up. Lara Jean tries to crack jokes, but Josh looks ready to cry. He asks if he can still hang out with her, Daddy, and Kitty; he’d hate to lose them. The tow truck arrives, and they head home. Josh offers to help Lara Jean tell Daddy, but Lara Jean knows she has to take responsibility.
The fact that Josh is the one who calls Triple A drives home how uncomfortable Lara Jean is asking for help from people she doesn’t trust completely. This means she has a very small pool of people to draw on when she’s in need. Her support network is even smaller now that Margot is in Scotland. Meanwhile, Josh reveals that the breakup has been just as hard on him as it’s been on Lara Jean.
Themes
