67 pages • 2 hours read
Tamara Ireland StoneEvery Last Word
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Bullying and the Profound Cruelty of Teenagers
The myriad ways in which teenagers can be cruel—and, relatedly, the devastating consequences of bullying—is a theme throughout Every Last Word. There are two major examples of bullying in the book: first, with AJ (Andrew) Olsen, and second with Caroline Madsen.
The narrative involving AJ shows a positive outcome; his story is one of perseverance and surviving bullying. With AJ, then Andrew, the bullying that the Crazy Eights inflicted upon him in fourth grade was so severe he was forced to transfer schools, but by the time he reaches high school, he has grown into a relatively well-adjusted teenager, made stronger by the adversity. Even though Samantha blocked out most of the memories of bullying AJ, when Kaitlyn reminds her of what they did, the memories come rushing back: “I can even picture his face when he saw us coming, and I remember how it made me feel guilty, but not guilty enough to stop, because it also made me feel powerful in a weird way. And there was always a look of approval on Kaitlyn’s face” (89). Of course, as the reader sees via the love plot between him and Samantha, AJ has come a long way since his stutter. His collected nature and writing savvy, both things that appeal so much to Samantha, are evidence that he has matured since, and perhaps because of, the bullying.
The story of Caroline Madsen and her experience with bullying is much different, with the tragedy of her suicide being the outcome. Although the narrative does not show the ways in which she was bullied, it does show her isolation: Caroline eating her lunches alone, befriending only the janitor Mr. B until Poet’s Corner. Caroline’s tragedy does end on something of a hopeful note in that she is a huge source of inspiration and strength to new generations of poets, and her legacy via Poet’s Corner ensures that that tradition will continue for years to come.
The social dynamic among the Crazy Eights members shows a subtler form of teenage cruelty. The incident at the spa, in which Samantha is forced to sit with Alexis’s mother instead of the group, is a uniquely underhanded form of bullying. It positions Samantha as an outcast in the group, while still not rejecting her entirely. The rules of engagement with the Crazy Eights involve all sorts of stipulations: “Not even when they don’t like the outfit you’re wearing or your new haircut or the new song you like or the guy you think is cute. My friends—especially Kaitlyn—don’t lie to each other, not ever, even when it’s a kindness designed to spare someone’s feelings” (231). Ostracization is the worst fate when it comes to the Crazy Eights: “Or worse, the remaining Eights would give us the same treatment they gave Sarah. We’ll be shunned in the halls. They’ll start rumors about us, just in case the rest of our classmates consider feeling sorry for us or taking our side instead of theirs” (310). As soon as Samantha begins to stand up for herself, the hierarchy of the Crazy Eights begins to dismantle itself, as seen in Chapter 33.
The Stigma of Mental Illness
Samantha goes to great lengths to hide her OCD from the Crazy Eights, the members of Poet’s Corner, AJ, and everyone in general. Her therapist Sue and her parents are the only ones who know the extent of Samantha’s struggles with OCD. Concealing this is tiresome to Samantha, but due to the stigma of mental health issues, she feels pressured to do so. She feels as though she will be rejected if the “real” her is seen, and this becomes especially poignant as her romantic relationship with AJ intensifies. Samantha bemoans the difficulty of trying to simply “stop’ being OCD: “And I want it to stop, but I can’t, because telling someone with OCD to stop obsessing about something is like telling someone who’s having an asthma attack to just breathe normally. My mind needs more information. The rabbit hole still hasn’t come to an end” (243). "Shrink-Sue" tries to help Samantha think differently about her OCD, assuring her that she is not damaged: “Your brain works differently, Sam. Sometimes it does things that scare you. But it’s very special and so are you’” (253). Sue makes several comments in this vein throughout the book: “Crazy is such a subjective word. I’d never us it to label anyone—certainly not you. Look, your brain functions differently from other brains, Sam. And because of the way your brain works, you got to know this wonderful person named Caroline. No one else had that privilege” (300).
Not coincidentally, it is Caroline—which, as we later learn, is a coping mechanism and figment of Samantha's imagination—is the first “friend” to accept Samantha’s OCD. When Samantha learns to accept herself, she can be freed, at least to some extent, from the stigma of mental illness.
The Duality of the Self
Throughout the book, Samantha struggles with the division between her two selves: her outward facing persona (the perfect, popular member of the Crazy Eights) and her inner self (her OCD-ridden, imperfect “real” self). This dichotomy is explored as Samantha teases out the differences between “Samantha” and “Sam.” Sam is the truest version of herself, and the one her therapist Sue encourages her to draw out more consistently: “Sue rests her elbows on her knees, forcing me to meet her eyes. ‘Yes, it is. And she’s in there all year long, I promise. You just have to find a way to pull her out’” (46).
AJ is another character with two sides to himself, although his duality is marked mostly by the past (Andrew, the stutterer) and the present (AJ, the poet). The character of Caroline represents another kind of multi-faceted personality. There is the Caroline/Caroline Madsen division, which represents on the one hand Samantha’s hallucinated version of Caroline and the historical person Caroline Madsen. Caroline also can be seen as part of Samantha’s own duality, as a personified coping mechanism: “When I’m done, I see the similarities, but I also spot distinct differences. And I realize that Sue was right: I took a face in a photo and gave her a lot of traits that deep down, I wish I possessed” (306). The concept of dual selves is used throughout Samantha's narrative to illustrate the challenges in accepting oneself as well as the roles one adopts to fit into mainstream society.
Writing as Catharsis
Samantha’s OCD is a condition of repetitive, obsessive thoughts. It follows, then, that releasing those thoughts via text would help in alleviating her troubles. Writing, especially poetry, is a form of catharsis and healing for the misfits and social outcasts of Poet’s Corner.
When Samantha first discovers poetry, she is obsessed with the activity and the way it makes her feel: “I put pen to paper, and off I go, writing about the one thing that makes me feel healthy and happy and ...normal” (66). Her devotion to writing is not merely compulsory in an OCD way, it is a passion: “Two hours later, I’m still going, still writing fast, still turning pages” (67).
Caroline’s poem entitled “Every Last Word” captures the essence of why Poet’s Corner is a sacred place for writers, and exalts writing itself in the process: “These walls heard me when no one else could./They gave my words a home, kept them safe./Cheered, cried, listened./Changed my life/for the better./It wasn’t enough. But they heard every last word” (323). In her suicide note to Mr. B, Caroline also expresses how Poet’s Corner is a vital place for those who find peace and comfort in the written word and the activity of writing: “Words are beginning to gather here. Just think of what these walls could look like if everyone who needed this room found it. Can you picture it? I can” (321). Caroline's words ring true as Samantha found the room, and the Poet's Corner members, when she desperately needed to connect to someone.
The Difference Between Toxic and True Friendships
Samantha, the protagonist of Every Last Word, does not know true friendship until she meets Caroline—which, it is revealed later, is a figment of her imagination, a coping mechanism that her brain created in order to deal with the stressors and rigors of school.
Samantha’s therapist Sue has encouraged her to ditch the toxicity of the Crazy Eights for quite some time: “Whether it’s them or me, she doesn’t understand why I’d choose to hang around with people I’m constantly questioning. And she’s sad for me, because my closest friends don’t feel all that close to me anymore, not like they did when we were those kids on that poster hanging on my wall” (78). The Crazy Eights, despite having been Samantha’s friends for the entirety of her childhood, are not her true friends. They do not know her intimately and only know of her on a superficial level. They do not allow her to be herself as the Poet’s Corner members, and particularly AJ, do.
Caroline is the first friend that Samantha has outside of the Crazy Eights: “I try to act nonchalant about the whole thing, like this happens all the time, but then I picture Caroline on the floor in my room, helping me with my poetry, and I feel a little bit giddy” (84). Imaginary though she may be, Caroline behaves as a true friend to Samantha, providing support and love unconditionally: “Caroline stands there, beaming as if this whole moment is going exactly the way she pictured it, and AJ gives me that casual chin tilt of his and says, ‘You don’t have to read right away today. Listen first, okay?’” (142). Like true friends, Caroline and Samantha share secrets, reveal things about themselves to each other that are private, and bond over their shared love of writing:
Caroline came over to my house after school yesterday, and we sat in the backyard working on a new poem. It was about opening your mind, lowering your walls, and finding friendship where you least expect it. I’ve been trying to write it on my own for weeks now, but I couldn’t seem to find the right words. As usual, Caroline knew exactly how to make it better (248).
Even though it is later revealed that Caroline is a hallucination, the feelings that she inspires in Samantha are exemplary of true friendship: “Caroline felt as real to me as everyone else in Poet’s Corner. She’s only been gone for a few hours, but I’ve never missed anyone more. The idea of never seeing her again makes my whole body feel hollow” (300).
Ultimately, via Caroline, Samantha makes true, lasting connections with the members of Poet’s Corner:
It feels freeing to say the words out loud, and as I do, it occurs to me how true they are: I care more about what AJ and Caroline and the rest of the people in Poet’s Corner think of me. If they kicked me out or stopped talking to me, I’d be devastated, but, of course they’d never do that in the first place. I feel safe with them (200).
Through her friendship with Caroline, Samantha essentially learns how to like herself, thereby becoming friends with who she really is. In a sense, she reconciles the disparity between "Samantha" and "Sam," one she associates with a toxic group, and one she associates with being true. In turn, this self-acceptance allows her to shed the snake skin of her old clique and embrace a new group of friends with like-minded interests.
