67 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer BrownA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Part 1, Chapters 1-2
Part 1, Chapters 3-4
Part 1, Chapter 5
Part 2, Chapters 6-7
Part 2, Chapters 8-9
Part 2, Chapters 10-11
Part 2, Chapters 12-13
Part 2, Chapters 14-15
Part 3, Chapters 16-17
Part 3, Chapters 18-19
Part 3, Chapters 20-21
Part 3, Chapters 22-23
Part 3, Chapters 24-25
Part 3, Chapters 26-27
Part 3, Chapters 28-29
Part 3, Chapters 30-31
Part 3, Chapters 32-33
Part 3, Chapters 34-35
Part 3, Chapters 36-37
Part 3, Chapters 38-39
Part 3, Chapters 40-41
Part 3, Chapters 42-43
Part 4, Chapter 44
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
“Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answer’d?” —Shakespeare
This quotation from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Nick’s favorite play and a quotation from a section he quoted to Valerie on one of their early dates, opens Part 4. Spoken by Claudius after Hamlet kills Polonius, the question asks: what recourse should this bloody deed be met with: Revenge? Punishment? Honor? Atonement? Is there an answer? Part 4 offers Valerie’s answer, not just to her crime or to Nick’s crime, but to all the crimes that led up to Garvin’s school shooting.
At school, in Mrs. Tate’s office, Valerie accepts information about colleges for a deferral, once she feels ready to return to school. Across from a beaming Mrs. Tate, she explains, “Now that I knew who I wasn’t, I was determined to remember who I was. Who I would become” (390).