Intro
These are the most important themes represented throughout the novel. You should always look for the meaning in a novel that you are reading, and these are multiple meanings that you learn from reading this story. They can teach you a lesson or two, so keep on reading!
The significance of helping others
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Rory is a direct example of this topic. Without even realizing it, she helps a different individual every day. For instance, one day Rory was at an excersize studio with her mom, and her little brother, Sawyer. When Rory dropped Sawyer off at the day care division of the building, she notices a boy sitting all alone. She walks over and quickly discoveres that he wanted his book, but his sister had it upstairs. Rory runs upstairs to find his sister, but then realizes that the sister is no happier than her brother! She was late for her ballet audition, and the ballet instructor is all about punctuality. This was the only way that she could get a full scholarship into college. Rory, thinks on her feet, and quickly changes the clock back about five minutes. Afterwards, she got the book and helped out her little brother, too! (You can find all of this on pages 143-145). Rory just helped brighten two people's days. Also, on the last page of the book, page 174, Rory thinks, "I settle back on my seat, feeling like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I don't plan to wish for anything for a while. I don't plan to chart out the future, at least not right away. Things are pretty good right now, right where I am." In this part of the story, Rory had just met (again) everyone that she had helped in the past. This also ties in with what we wrote in our third theme, about not growing up too fast.
Friendship
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This is also a major theme in the book, as it is in life. Your friends play a colossal role in your life. Even though Rory has few close friends, she doesn't let this stop her. The bond between Annabelle, Rory and Sari is undeniable. they've gone through thick and thin together, and nothing is about to pull them apart. On page 174, (as you can also find in our PowerPoint) Annabelle states, "I like myself better when I'm around you. It's like you see into me and I can't hide anything." Rory had just finished asking her why she was her best friend, and Rory replied in less than a second with this answer. Rory, Sari and Annabelle can teach us a valuable lesson, and all that we have to do is take the time to listen.
Growing up (and the mistakes involved)
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Everyone who ever reads this has made some sort of mistake. This has also happened to Rory, the main character. She makes a list of everything that her parents had ever promised her when she was twelve, (as seen on page 18) and when her birthday came, she tried to do them all at once. When she was almost done, she realized that if you rush through life, you will arrive too fast at your destination, while it's all about the journey. Rory's mom is also aware of this as she blurts out this quote from Gandhi, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." (pg 174) While Rory is doing all of this, (rushing to get everything done) she makes lots of mistakes. This is totally natural though, especially if you are rushing through whatever you are doing. Everyone should listen to this, to ensure that you are making the most out of your life.