Identity / Sense of Self

Throughout the novel, Lydia, Emily, and Cassie struggle with trying to understand who they are as individuals, and who they might become as adults. This is a typical issue facing teenagers. The basic structure of the novel, writing letters to strangers, gives the girls an opportunity to explore their identity in a unique way: in the letters they have complete control over what to reveal about themselves or to project any image of themselves that they want. They can omit truths they don't want their pen pals to know, or make up wild fantasies to appear as someone they are not. This latitude is taken to its most extreme by Paul Wilson, who creates an entirely new person in his letters. On the other hand, the students can allow themselves to be completely vulnerable by revealing secrets that no one else knows. . Emily sums this...