76 pages • 2 hours read
Ned VizziniIt's Kind of a Funny Story
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Part 7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 7: “Six North, Monday”
Part 7, Chapter 33 Summary
On Monday morning, Craig is anxious not to be at school. He has a telephone message from Aaron apologizing; Aaron explains that he thinks he might have depression and that he and Nia have been struggling. Craig feels he should call Aaron back but also wants to continue healing without interference. Craig returns his science teacher’s call, telling him he is in the hospital. The last message is from Jenna, a friend of Nia’s who is struggling and wants to hang out. When Craig runs into his roommate, Muqtada explains that he only listens to Egypian music but can’t find any. Craig gets a phone call from his principal and is so shocked that he hangs up the phone thinking, “I’m being expelled” (302). Craig convinces himself that he is “wasting [his] parents’ money and the taxpayers’ money” (302). Dr. Minerva arrives to visit.
Part 7, Chapter 34 Summary
Dr. Minerva and Craig discuss his principal’s phone call and recap what he did over the weekend. When Dr. Minerva asks about his art, Craig says, “Oh, yeah that’s nothing, really” (306). Craig shares about Noelle and his friends in the facility. Dr. Minerva points out that Craig is making friends easily, which he attributes to the lack of pressure in Six North. In the “outside world” there is “tremendous pressure” (307). Dr. Minerva warns Craig against becoming overly attached to Noelle or others, because “People don’t make good Anchors” (308). Seeing Muqtada has helped Craig see that he doesn’t want to be disengaged or end his life. Dr. Minerva sits with Craig as they call his principal together. Craig is shocked when the principal kindly tells him that they will do anything to support him. He points out that there are other kids in the same situation, “It’s a very common problem among young people” (312). Dr. Minerva tells Craig that he will be discharged on Thursday, and he excitedly leaves to draw more brain maps and prepare for Armelio’s card tournament.
Part 7, Chapter 35 Summary
In the activity room, the residents prepare for their card tournament. They use buttons to bet, since they don’t have chips or money. Just as they start dividing the buttons, Bobby arrives back from his interview, excited to have got into the home. Everyone celebrates with him, and he says he wouldn’t have done it without Craig who “literally gave me the shirt off his back” (317). Realizing how privileged he is to have a home, Craig resolves to “get a life worth living” (317). Bobby pretends to have found dog poop on his shirt, but it turns out to be a plastic prank prop. The group resumes playing the card game and squabbles about the buttons. Humble escalates an argument, calling the Professor a “grandma.” Armelio is upset that the game was thrown off. Humble becomes so irate that he is removed.
Part 7 Analysis
In Part 7, Craig’s interaction with various characters demonstrates that everyone is going through their own battle, further illustrating The Impact of Mental Illness as a theme. Craig’s time at Six North helps him feel less alone in his struggles knowing and seeing for himself that others are going through similar things. While many of Craig’s interactions with others are humorous or comforting, there is also a sadness as he realizes just how much his fellow residents have gone through. He realizes, “it’s depressing, though. I mean, this room is what I’d expect a mental hospital to look like” (287). The professor is afraid for her life. Muqtada cannot seem to leave his room. Humble struggles to have a full conversation without an outburst.
Not only are each of the patients in Six North going through their own struggles, but Craig begins to realize that his other friends—the ones he thought were “normal”—have struggles too. Aaron admits to being depressed and Nia is on medication. He even gets a call from a girl that he’s never met, saying she would like to speak with Craig. This shows how pain, isolation, anxiety, and mental health issues are part of the human experience, not personal failings. The only difference is that these characters have no one to connect with; everyone thinks they’re the only one struggling.
While there are moments when Craig realizes the gravity of his situation, there are other moments where he doubts his own experience. When he gets another phone call from his science teacher, Mr. Reynolds, he stands up for himself when he returns the call. He insists that Mr. Reynolds can call the hospital if he needs to verify Craig’s stay, but Craig doesn’t excuse his stay there. However, only a few moments later, he begins to invalidate his depression when he gets a phone call from the principal. Craig convinces himself that he will be expelled for staying at Six North. He thinks, “You don’t have anything really wrong with you” (302) and tells himself that he’s wasting society and his parents’ money: “Depression isn’t a disease. It’s a pretext for being a prima donna” (302).
Craig also continues to explore the meaning of healthy relationships as he grapples with the fine line between healthy connections and losing himself. He wants to call Aaron and Jenna to give them advice and at the same time, he wants to focus on his own health. He wants to “keep in here and the outside world as separate as possible” (298). He tries to follow Dr. Minerva’s advice not to rely on other people as his Anchors for his mental health but tries to find an internal sense of wellbeing.
