Heaven

“People look for what they need, I guess. You find what you think you need and what might make you happy in different places with different people and sometimes it’s just waiting in a tiny town in Ohio with a cute little schoolhouse by the river. Heaven was waiting for us.”

This quote introduces the small-town setting of Heaven, Ohio, which the author depicts as a quaint and bucolic place with happy residents. The name Heaven itself is an allusion to the Christian conception of the afterlife, further characterizing Heaven as a happy and positive place to raise a family. The revelations about Marley’s family history will come to reshape Marley’s perception of Heaven, and she must reconcile her childhood perceptions with her new understanding of her situation.

“Can you see them, Angel? They’re tall and languid. Tall and graceful. They’re yellow because they swallow up the sun and brown in the middle—almost burnt from eating up all the rays.”

Uncle Jack writes many letters to Marley over the years, and his words illustrate his propensity for employing lyricism and vivid imagery. Because the two characters communicate and connect solely through letters, Uncle Jack makes extra effort to invoke the details of his travels. In this letter, he describes the sunflower fields and anthropomorphizes the sunflowers, painting a visual picture so that Marley will feel as if she is there with him.

“You’d have thought I was drowning puppies by the way she looked at me […] In her mind it didn’t belong here. I don’t think she thought her beautiful family did, either.”

The author uses a metaphor to describe the severity of Shoogy’s response to Marley’s interest in the Maple family’s Cadillac. Shoogy’s struggles with her family are an important aspect of the girl’s character. In this scene, tormented by her bitterness over her family’s perceived perfection, Shoogy interprets Marley’s interest in the new Cadillac as a sign that Marley aligns herself with Shoogy’s family, which in turn would mean that she is against Shoogy. This unspoken dynamic explains the severity of Shoogy’s response.

“I look at Shoogy and Bobby and think it doesn’t matter ’cause the past doesn’t always make sense of the present. […] It looks to me like you’re either born in Heaven or you come here from someplace else to start all over and forget what happened before.”

The strength of Marley’s friendship with Shoogy and Bobby stems from the fact that Marley does not pry into the details of their pasts. Marley insists that this reticence on her part does not imply that she does not care about her friends; instead, she prefers to appreciate her friends for who they are now, asserting that “the past doesn’t always make sense of the present.” She means that simply knowing about someone’s past does not automatically grant a deeper understanding of that person’s identity in the present. Marley senses that Bobby and Shoogy are trying to start over and leave the past behind, and Marley seeks to honor that.

“And yes, one day I will just show up in Heaven and surprise all of you. I mean, what fun would that be? You get so few happy surprises in life.”

In this passage, Uncle Jack shares his plans to surprise Marley’s family with a visit one day. This quote also acts as an example of dramatic irony. Uncle Jack characterizes his surprise visit as a “happy surprise,” whereas the revelation of Uncle Jack’s true identity as Marley’s biological father will be anything but a happy surprise for Marley.

“Most people in Heaven think that anyone who doesn’t live here must have something wrong with them. It doesn’t interest many of them what other people do outside of town, but when new people move in and get settled, they can basically do no wrong in the eyes of Heaven. […] I’m thinking how the people I hang around with have been here less than a year, and they fit into Heaven just fine.”

This quote illustrates the close-knit community ties that exist in Heaven, but Marley’s description also hints at the town’s insularity. The residents of Heaven believe that those that do not live there must have some kind of deficit, and they do not overly concern themselves with people outside of town. However, despite the insular nature of Heaven, the fact that newcomers can “do no wrong” shows that Heaven is ultimately an accepting, peaceful place that embraces those who choose to make their homes there. Marley’s relationships with Shoogy and Bobby show her that a wider world exists beyond Heaven, and she starts to understand that Heaven may not be this place of exceptionalism that its residents believe it to be.

“Flames that I can feel sitting a thousand miles away. Flames that I will feel long after the TV is turned off. Flames and the looks on the faces of people watching their churches burn down—burning hot into the night, burning dark when the morning comes up.”

As Marley watches the church burnings on television, the images she sees have a significant impact on her. The author uses repetition to emphasize the emotions that she feels, and the repetition of the word “flames” indicates her fixation on this violence that has shaken her sense of safety. The sentences build upon one another, recreating the sense that the destructive fire is gaining intensity and burning the images into Marley’s mind, where they will smolder long after she turns off the television.

“It’s funny how you sometimes don’t realize when you might be doing something for the last time. I didn’t know it then, but that would be my last walk to my bedroom knowing anything about who I was.”

Heaven is narrated from Marley’s first-person perspective, and this particular quote, which takes on a retrospective approach, indicates the significance of the moment when Marley retreats to her bedroom for the last time prior to learning her family’s secret. It is as if Marley is watching her younger self on film and commenting upon her past experiences. This quote highlights the significance of hindsight, as Marley points out that many things in life can only be understood by looking back on them with more context.

“It was one of those nights that started to go down before the sun did.”

The storm is a significant symbol that represents the revelation about Marley’s family secrets. By engineering an external setting that reflects the chaos of Marley’s emotions, the author emphasizes the momentous importance of this particular scene, for the storm is a harbinger of news that will shake Marley’s understanding of her identity. As the storm brews, its growing furor mirrors the unsettled mood in Marley’s house as her parents struggle with their anxiety about revealing the truth of Marley’s past.

“They trust nature to tell them what the man on the radio tells us. I like that kind of faith. I could have that kind of faith—in nature. I now know how to watch for the danger signs, and I will from now on.”

During the storm, Marley worries about the safety of the nearby Amish, who do not rely on modern technology. When she learns of their ability to read signs in nature to gauge the weather, Marley marvels at their faith. In the wake of the revelation about her birth parents, Marley vows to look for warning signs in the people around her so that she is never caught off guard again.

“I remember looking at my hands and realizing that they weren’t Momma’s hands. […] I start to cry.”

This quote illustrates Marley’s deep sense of loss, as she has always told herself that she has her Momma’s hands. When she learns about her family history and her birth mother’s death, Marley feels as if she has lost two mothers at once. She grieves the loss of a mother she never knew, and she also realizes that none of her own physical characteristics come from the woman who loved her and raised her. Shackled as she is by her rigid definition of family, she feels as though she has lost her connection to Momma as well. Only by Redefining the Concept of Family will she be able to reconcile this internal conflict.

“‘What is it about being up high that makes you want to scream?’ […] ‘I guess up this high you really think somebody might hear you. I mean, they’ll stop what they’re doing, look up, and say “Hey man! What’s up with that screaming? It must be somebody in trouble. It must be somebody real.”’”

Marley goes through an identity crisis after learning that Momma and Pops are her adoptive parents rather than her biological parents, but she naturally overcomes this shock with the help of her friends, Shoogy and Bobby. This quote demonstrates The Importance of Community Support, for just like Marley, Shoogy also has tough challenges to overcome. This passage details Shoogy’s response when Marley asks why being high in the air makes people want to scream. Shoogy points out that screaming in this way would alert passersby that “somebody real” is in need of immediate assistance. Her comment underscores the idea that because people rarely express emotional pain, it is considered to be less “real” or urgent than physical pain. However, Shoogy’s own tendency to self-harm proves that emotional pain is just as serious, and just as “real.”

“I hate this ‘keepin’ it real’ stuff. What’s it all about, anyway? Real is what is. If you have to keep something the way it is, then it’s not going with the natural flow. That’s lying. […] I’m pissed at my par—Kevin and Lucy. That’s real. The way I’m dealing with it is real.”

In a rare outburst of emotion, Marley expresses her frustration and hurt to Shoogy after learning about the truth of her biological parents. The author uses hypophora in this quote to emphasize Marley’s point that “real is what is,” while keeping the truth from Marley is akin to lying. Marley pointedly uses Momma and Pops’s given names in this passage to emphasize her anger toward them. Caught up in the conviction that their deception negates the role they played in raising her as their own, she currently believes that she can no longer call them her parents. Her fury and sense of betrayal illustrate The Damaging Impact of Secrets; she now holds the people who raised her at a distance and strips them of their parental titles altogether.

“I love the sound of my name now. Want to hold on to it and hear people say it over and over again. I never heard the sound of my own name coming out of me. I say my name a lot now. It holds me somewhere I used to be. It makes me feel whole and full.”

As Marley comes to terms with the truth about her family, the name given to her by her adopted parents becomes an important symbol and marker of her identity. Although she was born “Monna Floyd,” the name Marley now acts as a grounding force in her life, making her feel “whole and full” and acting as a tether to the person she always understood herself to be. Names are an important aspect of identity, and Marley now clings to her name as she begins to construct a more expansive worldview.

“The stars always stayed in the same place. I have to remember that. I have to keep on thinking about that when I want to scream at Momma, Pops, and Jack.”

Pops replaces the glow-in-the-dark stars on Marley’s ceiling once a year, and he is always careful to place them in the same spots. This act illustrates the care and love that Pops has for Marley. The tradition becomes a tangible piece of evidence that Marley uses to preserve the essence of her relationship with Momma and Pops as she navigates her complicated feelings. The fact that the stars never move becomes a grounding force for Marley, and she regards the stars as a symbol of her parents’ steadfast love for her, even though her world has been upended.

“I feel bruised and motherless, even when I want to go to Momma lately and tell her it’s okay. I just want what I used to have. But I can’t. My legs won’t carry me to her. I miss her.”

Marley expresses the complicated nature of reconciling the truth about her biological and adoptive parents. This quote shows the disconnect between Marley’s heart and mind; she wants to go to Momma, the woman who raised her as her own, but she cannot make herself take this step toward reconciliation just yet. She feels disassociated from her body, unable to bridge the gap on her own despite how much she misses being close to the woman who raised her. This quote illustrates The Damaging Impact of Secrets; although Marley still inherently loves Momma, she no longer trusts her.

“When you’re ready to open the next door to your life, I’ll be there, if you want.”

After learning about the truth about Marley’s parents, Bobby does not pressure her to decide how to proceed. Instead, he listens without judgment, allowing her the space she needs to express her feelings of anger and betrayal toward her adoptive parents and Uncle Jack. Bobby’s response illustrates The Importance of Community Support, and he remind hers that she has the power to enact changes in her own life. He helps Marley to see that she is the only one who can decide how to proceed, but he also lets her know that she does not have to walk through this metaphorical door alone.

“Sometimes it’s easy to tell where you are. Just look around and notice the people who have always been there for you, and follow them.”

Pops tries to help Marley repair her relationship with her adoptive family by showing her that he and Momma have always been there for her and will continue to support her unconditionally. Marley expresses how lost she feels after the revelations about her birth parents, and Pops affirms her feelings but reminds her that she does have a devoted family, even if she needs to redefine the concept of family somewhat. Despite the secrets that Momma and Pops kept from Marley, Pops tries to show Marley that this conflict should not negate the lifetime of love they have given her.

“Every day it all gets more fuzzy around the edges about the people who call themselves our families.”

In this quote, Marley struggles with the process of Redefining the Concept of Family. As she processes the information about her birth parents, she compares her own situation to the family dynamics of her friends. She analyzes Shoogy’s conflict with her parents and Bobby’s dedication to raising Feather. Faced with these many differences, Marley’s understanding of the definition of family grows “fuzzy,” and she is faced with the realization that the word “family” can refer to a diverse range of situations. The word “fuzzy” in this instance is not negative; instead, it indicates that Marley is expanding her notion of what family can be.

“If you think about how things might have been a long time ago if something had just changed a little—you might just bug out.”

Marley alludes to the common idea of imagining different outcomes to one’s life as if past events had happened differently. Marley wonders what her life would be like if Christine had not died, but she is careful not to follow this speculative thought too far, acknowledging that it will only lead to further anguish. The passage makes it clear that Marley is struggling with the harsh realities of her present even as she tries to reconcile the past. However, she does not go as far as to wish away the family members who raised her. She wishes that Christine had not died, but she carries the woman’s letter with her as a tangible reminder of what could have been, not as a silent wish to replace what she has.

“I don’t have that much, you know. I just got parts of her back. Just the paper parts. The parts with words and ink. The parts that can be folded and stored. Folded and lost…it isn’t just paper to me now.”

Christine’s letters to Uncle Jack become an important symbol of the mother that Marley never knew. Because she cannot know Christine, the letters are a tangible way for her Marley to understand who her birth mother was. Thus, when Marley misplaces Christine’s letter, she feels as though she has lost Christine all over again. Marley’s reaction reflects the novel’s recurring emphasis on the importance of letters. As she struggles to redefine her reality, she uses her communications with Uncle Jack and the letters of her birth mother to gain a more sophisticated understanding of her family dynamics and secrets.

“I don’t have to be your uncle, Marley; but I certainly won’t ever try to be your dad. You have one who loves you, as I do.”

In one of his final letters, Uncle Jack tells Marley that he would never usurp Pops’s place as Marley’s father-figure. He acknowledges the role that Pops has played in Marley’s life, and this quote illustrates the fact that families can encompass many diverse relationships. Uncle Jack states plainly that he has no aspirations to be Marley’s father, because Pops has raised her as his own from the beginning, and Jack does not seek to upend that relationship. For Marley, who has felt a distinct lack of control over her life since learning about her family’s secrets, Jack also gives her the gift of choice and agency; he tells her that she does not have to claim him as her uncle any longer, and he acknowledges the harm he caused her by leaving her and hiding the true biological connection between them.

“Marley, you aren’t leaving with him or anything. I mean, you’re ours. Not his.”

Butchy’s response to the news of Uncle Jack’s visit illustrates the importance of Redefining the Concept of Family. Marley has struggled to come to terms with how drastically her ideas of family have changed, but Butchy’s comment shows that his conception of family has not changed at all; Marley may not be his biological sister, but she is still his sister. With the straightforward statement, “You’re ours. Not his,” Butchy shows his familial devotion to Marley, proving that he has never questioned their relationship.