Home

A major dynamic in the story is Pen’s longing for home, coupled with the realization that she might never be able to return to her home if she does not give up on her dreams. Home represents familiarity and safety for Pen even while she had such a complicated relationship with her family. She feels powerless and unmoored when her parents kick her out. She is mature, but she knows that “Being bullheaded isn’t the same as being an adult…I have no idea what I’m supposed to do next. And not just the next month or the next day, but the next minute…Doesn’t she know that I hadn’t meant to unravel my entire life? Doesn’t she know that I’m sorry?” (69) She knows that they will accept her back home in a heartbeat if she merely promises to...