The One-In-A-Million Boy

These chapters emphasize The Balance Between Honoring the Past and Embracing the Future as the setting shifts from Ona’s familiar home to the more uncertain and symbolic setting of a road trip to visit Laurentas, her estranged son. This shift in physical space mirrors a deeper internal journey for Ona, who uses the trip to boldly confront aspects of her past that she has long kept hidden. When Belle lends Ona a red blouse, this kind gesture gives rise to a symbol of transformation, for although the clothing is not Ona’s usual style, she looks good in it and embraces the new look. This positive, flexible mindset foreshadows her willingness to step into a new version of herself, finding an invigorating form of renewal even in the twilight of her life—an impression that is strengthened when she reflects that her real life is just beginning. As the narrative states, “Ona felt momentarily unborn, as if her long life had been a warm-up for the real show, on which the curtain was about to rise” (137). This realization shows her embracing a new phase of her life, one that has been initiated by her connection with the boy and her developing friendship with Quinn and Belle.

The motif of language arises in the story as various words in Lithuanian begin returning to Ona, suggesting that her innocent childhood identity is still intact and just needed permission to reappear. Notably, she wonders if the full language lies dormant within her, much like pieces of her past, and it is clear that by connecting with the boy and allowing his unique perspective to influence her, she has harnessed The Life-Changing Power of Unlikely Friendships. In connection with this inner shift, the motif of the Guiness World Records encapsulates Ona’s intense desire to leave something meaningful behind and honor the boy’s memory and imagination. This goal is particularly important to her since two of her sons are dead and the who is alive does not know who she is. By breaking a world record, Ona believes that she will establish a worthwhile, lasting legacy.

In pursuit of this goal, Ona experiences noticeable growth and spends a great deal of energy in reconnecting to the world around her. She dresses up, gets her hair done, and takes genuine pleasure in preparing for the trip to see her son, and all these activities signify that she is investing in her life again. There is even a subtle, faux-romantic undercurrent as Ona hopes to impress Quinn. Her emotional complexity is deepened when the narrative subtly reveals that she secretly “fell” for the boy—not in a literal sense but as someone she could have loved deeply in another life and in different circumstances. That initial connection is later transferred to Quinn, leading to jealousy and discomfort; when Belle joins the road trip, Ona compares herself to a “collapsed pudding, a leftover someone had forgotten on the seat” (132). This comparison reveals both her emotional vulnerability and the unflattering way that she views herself in her old age. To her surprise, however, Ona and Belle bond and share important stories from their pasts, and this development aptly demonstrates the life-changing power of unlikely friendships. While Quinn and Ted compete for Belle’s attention, Belle reclines against Ona’s chest, and the women share personal stories and celebrate the complex legacies that their past experiences have given them. Most importantly, Belle starts to regain a sense of her old self despite her lingering grief, and she even commits to Ona’s mission to fulfill the boy’s wish that she find a way to break a Guiness World Record.

The narrative continues to layer the present with the boy’s past interviews of Ona, and these stories and memories often foreshadow new developments in her present, further exemplifying the balance between honoring the past and embracing the future. Thus, her latest meeting with Laurentas is juxtaposed with her earlier description of their last encounter, creating a stark contrast between his current disabilities and her memory of him as a dapper middle-aged man. The author makes the trip itself more intense by relying on a collage of sensory details, emotional reflections, and strategic shifts in tone from awkward to humorous to morose. As Ona steps into her memories, her thoughts of Louise are brought to the forefront of her mind, and this person who was previously just a vague memory is now fully introduced as Ona’s former colleague and close friend—as well as the woman whom Ona secretly loved. Ona greatly admired Louise’s bold stance as a loud feminist who broke tradition by teaching feminist literature at an all-boys school in the mid-20th century. Although she does not yet fully reveal her own romantic feelings for Louise, Ona cryptically says, “I was a female with a secret” (179), and this admission subtly foreshadows her closeted love for Louise and the loneliness that she has always felt in the woman’s absence.

The author frequently uses Ona’s memories to comment on notable aspects of history. For example, Ona tells the boy that the last time she saw Laurentas was the day President Kennedy was shot, and she muses over the fact that her “own trivial tragedy [was] unfolding on top of a real one” (142). This account directly blends personal experiences with historical events as a way to demonstrate the complex nature of grief. When Ona finally sees Laurentas again, she feels a deep sense of disappointment when she realizes that he does not know who she is, and she finds herself in the unusual circumstance of feeling The Lasting Influence of Grief for a person who has not yet truly died.

Meanwhile, Quinn must navigate his own version of grief when his brief hope that he and Belle might reunite is dashed to pieces forever. When Belle announces that she is marrying Ted immediately, this abrupt decision brings the trip’s emotional tension to a crisis point, forcing each character to reckon with what they have lost and what they can still gain. Specifically, Quinn is forced to grow and mature in the space of an instant when he gracefully agrees to witness the event and even pays for Belle’s spontaneous wedding. This selfless act reveals his growing maturity, for rather than focusing on his own desires, he merely wants Belle to find some form of happiness in the wake of their son’s death.