Crank

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | YA | Published in 2004

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-40

Chapters 41-85

Chapters 86-135

Chapters 136-170

Chapters 171-223

Chapters 224-263

Chapters 264-295

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

The Complex Nature of Addiction

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses drug use and substance use disorder, which feature in the source text.

Addiction touches many lives in this novel, not only Kristina’s. Adam’s mother tells her that Adam’s older brother, Michael, died of an overdose of speed, another name for meth. Adam’s father was also addicted to meth. Kristina doesn’t understand why Adam consumes meth when it has led to so much family tragedy: “Watching his dad choose / the monster, / seeing his / brother lie down for the demon, / how could he want to party too?” (205). The irony of her statement is not lost on Kristina. Moments later, she applies the same yardstick to herself: “Knowing all these things…what did that make me?” (206). Kristina, like Adam, has witnessed the harm meth and other drugs can wreak. Her father, addicted to drugs, lives a lonely life and makes questionable choices, such as consuming meth alongside Kristina and Adam. Lynx, Adam’s girlfriend, jumps or falls off a balcony under the influence of meth, almost losing her life. Kristina knows from firsthand experience that meth is dangerous, but the nature of addiction is such that it overpowers any qualms she may have.

One of the key themes of Crank is that addiction can happen to anyone: ordinary people, lifeguards, high schoolers, and parents. While certain factors and situations can predispose one to addiction, there is no certain way to predict which person may be prone to abusing drugs. For instance, one predisposing factor could be a parent who faces addiction. This is true in the case of Kristina and Adam. However, there is no indication that any of Robyn’s parents deal with addiction. Robyn takes up crank to stay slim and energized. Further, most people whose parents are addicts do not necessarily use drugs. Siblings within the same family also differ: Trent is sober while Robyn is not, and the same applies to Leigh and Kristina. Another important aspect of addiction is that while it is easy for an outsider to be objective about it, only the person with the addiction knows its subjective reality. Like Kristina herself in Chapter 118, the reader may wonder why Kristina continues to crave meth despite being surrounded by cautionary tales. To understand why, Hopkins dissects the nature of addiction itself.

Instead of viewing addiction as a matter of will, the text shows that it is more a disease that gradually takes over the person using it. When Kristina first uses meth, it leads to a surge of dopamine so strong she feels it “annihilates barriers…freeing long-captive dreams” (91). When the dopamine leaves her system, it makes her feel extremely low and deflated, craving the euphoric state she previously experienced. The more often she uses meth, the more she has to take to feel a high. Additionally, using meth impairs her judgment-making abilities. It’s scientifically proven that meth negatively impacts cognitive function and the brain’s decision-making faculty. Given these chemical responses going on in her body, quitting meth is no longer a matter of will for Kristina. It will also require medical and other kinds of therapeutic interventions, rehabilitation, and more. Kristina realizes the enormous challenge addiction poses, which is why she labels it “the monster.” Meth is a monster because it assumes larger-than-life proportions in her life, demanding complete surrender and devotion. Once Kristina develops an addiction to meth, her other interests, her family ties, and even her relationship with herself crumbles. After her stint in juvie, Kristina resolves to lower her meth use and focus on her studies and unfinished projects. She finds these resolutions difficult to maintain because meth has altered her brain chemistry. She retains the memory of euphoria as well as the agony of withdrawal. The smallest trigger—a song with lyrics pertaining to meth—spurs her “back to the fold of the monster” (467).

The Difficulty of Finding an Identity

Kristina’s struggle to find her identity is universal. At the start of the book, Kristina is 16, navigating the passage from childhood to adulthood. Like any teenager, she questions her place in the world. Because she identifies as female, finding her place means navigating society’s double standards and gendered restrictions, adding another layer of difficulty to her search for identity. On top of that, there is the pressure of parental expectations, maintaining high grades, and being considered popular and desirable. Further, Kristina feels torn between her mother and her father. While Marie has given her a stable home life, Kristina yearns for a relationship with her biological father, and the conflict between these parts of her identity causes Kristina stress as well. Given all these factors, Kristina has trouble forging her own identity and chooses to do so under the guise of Bree.

Bree is a puzzling character in the novel. Kristina herself notes that Bree is not her alter ego or her imaginary friend. Rather, Bree is Kristina herself, rebelling against other people’s notions and expectations: “I summon / Bree when dreams / no longer satisfy, when / gentle clouds of monotony / smother thunder, when / Kristina cries” (6). The poetic language here addresses a universal problem. Everyone has experienced a stage growing up when old dreams are not enough or when everyday life seems boring and tedious. Everyone has experienced periods of feeling misunderstood and periods of irritability and tears. Young people often cope with such times by summoning their burgeoning adult selves, their reserves of individuality, and even positive self-talk. Bree is a combination of all these coping mechanisms. The complication here is that Bree becomes inextricably linked with meth use. Just as Kristina is growing into her own, she starts using meth, making her believe freedom and meth use are one and the same: “Adam, Bree, and / the monster were inextricable / friends” (175). Adam, whose name is a biblical allusion to the first man, is Kristina’s first love. A symbol of her grown-up identity, Adam is also the person who introduces her to meth. Her statement shows that using meth, being a sexual person, and having her own identity become intertwined concepts for Kristina.

The text does not say if Bree is a good or a bad person, though Kristina often portrays Bree as transgressive, wild, and unsympathetic. This could be because Kristina is uneasy reconciling different parts of her identity: the honors student, the good daughter, the flirt, the rebel, and person who uses drugs. She judges herself particularly harshly for expressing her sexuality. Here, the novel shows the pressure society places on girls and women to be chaste. Kristina’s father does not spend much time with her but keeps telling her that being sexually active means she could lose everything. When Kristina flirts in public with Brendan, she can feel girls looking at her disapprovingly. Kristina describes her flirtation in hyperbolic terms as “sheer, depraved / forwardness” (248). Kristina can only make sense of sexual expression as wild and depraved. Her language shows the enormous pressure teenage girls face in claiming their identity as sexual beings.

Family and Addiction

Kristina has a complex relationship with her family, which worsens as her dependence on meth grows. On the surface, Kristina’s life with her mother and stepfather is fairly idyllic. They live in a large, beautiful home, have family rituals such as attending the Nevada air races, and are all involved in meaningful individual pursuits. Leigh is in college, Marie is a writer, Scott works for a tech company, and Kristina is an honors student in high school. Yet, from the onset, Kristina describes feeling isolated from her family and is especially scathing about her mother, Marie. Early in the novel, Kristina wryly notes, “My mom enjoys discussing / her daughter’s downward slide” (10). At other points she describes her mother as cold, as a perfectionist, and as “the bitch queen” (502). Kristina’s feeling of alienation highlights how complex family dynamics can be, despite the best of intentions.

One of Kristina’s early criticisms of her mother is that Marie can’t understand why Kristina wants to meet her biological father. Perhaps Marie wants to protect Kristina from the emotional damage her father can inflict. Yet, in badmouthing Kristina’s father to her—“My mom gave a detailed run-down / of his varied bad habits” (10)—Marie unwittingly widens the rift between herself and Kristina. At the other extreme is Kristina’s father, who follows a model of extremely permissive parenting. Oddly, while he goes to court to have Kristina visit, he more or less abandons Kristina as soon as she gets to his place. He allows Kristina to do as she pleases and even consumes meth with her. When Kristina returns to Reno, he hardly calls her. To emphasize his non-presence in Kristina’s life, the narrative doesn’t ever refer to him by a name. Caught between her biological father’s permissive, absentee parenting style and her mother and stepfather’s strict standards, Kristina feels like no parent has her back. Meth takes these existing rifts in the family and blows them wide open. Because addiction is secretive, solitary, and consuming, it makes Kristina retreat further from her loved ones. Kristina uses shields of lies, cutting words, and deceptions to drive her family away.

Marie exhibits denial about her family’s problems. When Kristina tells Marie that they seem normal only on the surface, Marie’s “face contort[s], emphasizing every wrinkle” (369). Marie is also in denial about Kristina’s addiction. She readily believes Kristina when Kristina tells her she has only ever smoked marijuana, despite all evidence to the contrary. However, it is clear that for all her flaws, Marie deeply loves Kristina. Her struggles with Kristina are a realistic depiction of a parent dealing with a child’s addiction. Marie has to cope with Kristina’s lies, her changed behavior, and her loss of interest in school. At one point, Kristina uses the f-word against her and Marie breaks down. Throughout the book, Marie does the best she can.

Despite the troubled family dynamics in the novel, family is also a source of hope and support. Before her 17th birthday, Kristina visits her ailing grandmother, who gives her a locket that feels like “a wealth of love” around her neck (420). Kristina expects the same grandmother to scold her for getting pregnant, but the grandmother tells her that every baby is an angel. Kristina’s grandmother’s unconditional support symbolizes the love a family can bring. Earlier in the book, Kristina’s sister, Leigh, urges Kristina to confide in her, dresses her infected tattoo, and forgives her for her cruel words. The greatest proof that her family supports her is their reaction to her pregnancy. Kristina may have hesitated to inform Marie about her pregnancy, but when she does, Marie and Scott agree to take care of her. During her pregnancy, her younger brother, Jake, excitedly shares “his Internet / research on fetal / development” (530), and Scott teaches her to drive. After Kristina has Hunter, Marie bonds with the baby and is extraordinarily patient with him. Kristina herself is the best mother she can be, gritting her teeth to largely stay away from meth during her pregnancy. In the bleak landscape of addiction, family ties offer potential for redemption.