The Things We Do For Love

“Believe me, family is overrated. Oh, they’re fine till you screw up, but then, wham!, they break your heart. Don’t you count on people, Lauren.”

After going to the college fair by herself, Lauren finds her mother drunk in their apartment. When the girl outlines her plans to get a college scholarship, her mother claims that she had the same plan but that pregnancy ruined her life—a dark example of the novel’s interest in The Quest for Maternal Fulfillment. The woman’s words are ironic, as Lauren already knows that she cannot count on her mother. Furthermore, Lauren will learn that people who truly love her will stick by her even in the most difficult moments.

“Lauren felt acutely out of place as she walked up to the guardhouse at the entrance gate, a girl who didn’t belong. She imagined that a notation was made on some chart that would be presented to Mr. and Mrs. Haynes on their return: Bad Element Visits Home.”

Lauren feels like an outcast when she visits David’s neighborhood, a community that contrasts in every way with her own. The association of poverty with “badness” signifies a biased, classist perspective. Lauren is so conditioned by these prejudices that she has internalized them and believes them about herself.

“Outside her apartment building, she stopped, loath suddenly to go inside. She closed her eyes and imagined the home she would someday have. Buttery yellow walls, down-filled sofas, huge picture windows, a wraparound porch overgrown with flowers.

She tried to latch on to the familiar dream, but it floated past her, insubstantial as smoke.”

When Lauren tries to conjure her dream home, she compares it to smoke. This simile highlights that although smoke is visible, it is intangible and fleeting. This mirrors Lauren’s outlook for the future. She cannot “latch on” to her dream, because it seems unlikely given her circumstances.

“After that, they got out a deck of cards and played gin rummy long into the night. By the time they fell asleep side by side on the sofa, curled up beneath a quilt Mama had made years ago, Angie had found her strength again.”

After Angie hires Lauren, her mother knows that Angie will have a difficult night and goes to her house. This intuition shows how deep their bond is: The woman knows exactly what her daughter needs, and after they spend the night together, Angie feels stronger, reinforcing the theme of the transformative power of love.

“His eyes were narrowed; he kept glancing away from the lights, toward the field. The parking lot. Finally, he said, ‘Did you see them?’”

After his football game, David scans the crowd for his parents, his question implying his need for his father’s attention. Unfortunately, his father is not there. David’s desire for parental affection mirrors Lauren’s similar longing, demonstrating that wealth does not eliminate all problems and that Lauren and David are more similar than they seem.

“She should have called first—that was how it was done in polite homes. You didn’t just stop by, even to return something. Unfortunately, she didn’t know Angie’s phone number. And—if she were honest with herself at least—she needed not to be alone.”

On the way to Angie’s house, Lauren worries that she made the wrong decision to return the homecoming dress. Her insecurities about her circumstances and upbringing surface when she notes that this is not “how it [is] done in polite homes.” However, her admission that she is lonely and needs to be with someone mirrors how Angie is feeling, implying their connection across class differences.

“October rushed past, but in November, life seemed to move slowly again. One day bled into the next. It rained constantly, sometimes in howling, sheeting storms that turned the ocean into a whirlpool of sound and fury. More often than not, though, the moisture fell in beaded drops from a bloated, tired-looking sky.”

This description contains an allusion to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In a monologue, Macbeth references the brevity of life and how it is full of “sound and fury,” suggesting the meaninglessness of it. Given that the weather in Hannah’s novel often symbolizes the emotional states of Lauren and Angie, this allusion hints that despite the success of the restaurant and their budding friendship, both women experience bouts of sadness and feelings of futility.

“‘I know. I know.’ Angie laughed. ‘You act like this is the first time anyone’s ever done you a favor. It was nothing.’”

After Angie offers to get Lauren a recommendation from the dean of USC’s business school, the girl is ecstatic and repeatedly thanks her. Angie’s response is ironic; she does not think her gesture is significant, but it may in fact be the first time someone has done Lauren a favor of this magnitude. The irony underscores that Angie does not fully understand how difficult Lauren’s life is.

“Angie cupped her hands around the insulated cup. Warmth seeped into her fingers; steam wafted toward her face. She led Lauren into the town square. They sat on a concrete bench. Even from this distance, you could hear the ocean. It was the heartbeat of the town, steady and even.”

Amid Lauren’s turmoil over her secret pregnancy, she and Angie sit in the town square. Both women are experiencing heartache, yet the metaphor comparing the ocean to a steady rhythm suggests that life goes on despite the hardships people endure.

“Well, let’s get you tested and see where we stand.”

When Lauren shares the details of her period and at-home pregnancy tests at Planned Parenthood, the doctor says this. Although the doctor tries to be reassuring, there is irony in her use of “we,” as Lauren is confronting this pregnancy completely on her own: She has not told David or Angie, and later that same night, her mother tells her that she will not help.

“The waistband of Lauren’s school uniform was as loose as usual; still it didn’t fit somehow. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to tell herself that no one could tell. She felt like Hester Prynne, only the letter was a scarlet P on her stomach.”

Although Lauren has not gained weight yet, she notes that her uniform does not fit, implying that she does not belong among her peers. The allusion to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter refers to Hester Prynne, who was ostracized for adultery while her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, escaped societal disdain. Similarly, Lauren will face far more repercussions for her pregnancy than David will, highlighting gender inequities surrounding sex.

“Saturday night at the restaurant was wild. Every table was full, and a line of hopefuls waited in the corner. Angie was grateful for the business. It meant she didn’t have time to think.

Thinking was the last thing she wanted to do.”

The packed restaurant represents Angie’s success at reviving the business but allows her to avoid her grief. When she notes that she does not want to think, she implicitly admits to avoiding her pain regarding her marriage and disappointing visit with Conlan. Her avoidance highlights the theme of Embracing Grief to Heal.

“This hurt more than the slap. Even now, on this terrible day, her mother’s thoughts were on herself. Lauren swallowed hard, moved away. Very slowly she went back to picking up the apartment. She had to hold back tears with every breath.”

When Lauren first told her mother of her pregnancy, her mother slapped her. Tonight, when her mother cries, Lauren initially assumes that she is emotional about Lauren’s situation but then realizes that her mother is only focused on herself. In her desperation for love, Lauren is hurt more by her mother’s self-centeredness than by her physical abuse. Ultimately, Lauren’s mother is a foil to Angie, who shows genuine, selfless love for Lauren.

“‘Go to West End,’ Mrs. Detlas said gently. ‘Finish up the second semester and graduate early. Thank God you have enough credits.’

It’s where you belong. Lauren heard the words as clearly as if they’d been spoken aloud.

But that was another lie.

The truth was she didn’t belong anywhere.”

Mrs. Detlas suggests that Lauren should not remain at Fircrest Academy now that she is pregnant, telling her to finish her senior year at the public high school. The words in italics are what Lauren hears—that she does not belong at this private, elite school. In fact, she feels acutely that she belongs nowhere, and her isolation highlights the social stigma regarding teen pregnancy. No matter what the counselor says, Lauren knows that she is an outsider anywhere she goes.

“Angie wished there were some string of magic words that would ease this poor child’s heart, but sometimes life backed you into a corner and there was no easy way out.”

When Angie learns the extent of Lauren’s situation, this is her first thought. Although she wants to solve the problem and make it go away, she recognizes that the only option is to deal with the situation head-on. Ironically, this is exactly what Angie has avoided doing with her grief. Recognizing that Lauren needs to confront the facts is thus a sign that Angie has changed her outlook and begun healing.

“Slowly Angie hugged her back. When Lauren felt herself start to cry, she tried to pull back, but Angie wouldn’t let her. Instead, she stroked Lauren’s hair, murmured that it would be okay. Over and over, It’s okay now, Lauren. It’s okay.

All her life Lauren had waited for a moment like this.”

After Angie shows Lauren around the house, the girl thanks her and dissolves into tears. Despite Angie’s reservations about the situation, she demonstrates compassion, which Lauren desperately needs. She has never received motherly love but recognizes that Angie’s response is what she has always wanted in a mother.

“Lauren had to get through this day on her own. There was no other way. The road she’d found herself on was dark and scary; there was no way out except straight through.”

After Angie fights for Lauren to stay at Fircrest Academy, she resists the urge to do more for the girl. She reminds herself of what she has learned: that the best way to overcome adversity is to tackle it. The metaphor of a “dark and scary” road emphasizes how difficult the journey will be for Lauren, but it is also true for Angie because having the girl stay with her while pregnant will dredge up past griefs.

“She touched his face, wondering how long the pain of this moment would linger. She felt a dozen years older than him right now. It was clear suddenly that this might ruin them.”

When Lauren and David exchange gifts, he confesses that he cannot be a father. Lauren’s reaction exemplifies the maturity and wisdom she has gained throughout the pregnancy. She feels older because she has had to contend with so much on her own and because the burden of the pregnancy has fallen primarily on her. Furthermore, she is no longer naïve about their future, understanding that even though they love each other, their relationship will not last.

“God help her, Angie’s first thought was Give me the baby. She hated herself for it. She wished she could say something but her voice seemed to have gone missing. Suddenly, she was thinking about her nursery and all those old dreams. She battled the feelings, put them aside long enough to ask quietly, ‘What do you want?’”

Hearing that Lauren is considering adoption causes Angie’s internal conflict to flare up: She selfishly wants the baby but also knows that Lauren’s needs are most important. The fact that Angie is conflicted shows growth, as she is no longer single-mindedly focused on having a child. Pushing through grief and loving Lauren has helped her move beyond her own desires and consider others, which highlights the themes of embracing grief to heal and the transformative power of love.

“Mrs. Haynes started to move away, then stopped and turned back. ‘Maybe you could give me a photograph of my—of the baby when he’s born.’

It was the first time Lauren had thought of the baby as their grandchild.”

Although David’s parents seem stern and unforgiving at times, Mrs. Haynes cares about both Lauren and the baby. Her request to see a photo of the baby suggests a sadness that Lauren did not realize was there. When Lauren considers that the woman is losing a grandchild, she understands that she is not the only one who will be grieving the adoption.

“Some things in life, though, couldn’t be gone in search of. They simply had to be waited for. Like the weather. You could look on the horizon and see a bank of black storm clouds. That didn’t guarantee rain tomorrow. It might just as easily dawn bright and clear.

There was no damn way to tell.”

Angie’s observation about the uncertainty surrounding the adoption presents the weather as a simile for life’s unpredictability. Just because something seems likely does not mean that it will happen. Angie’s recognition of this reflects her newfound strength because it suggests that she is ready for whatever happens, even if it is more heartache and pain.

“‘I don’t belong there anymore.’ She pulled free and went to the porch swing and sat down. She wanted to tell Angie that lately it felt as if she didn’t belong anywhere. She loved this house, this family, but once the baby was born, Lauren wouldn’t belong here anymore.”

When Angie suggests that Lauren could have gone to the beach party, Lauren insists that she no longer belongs anywhere—not just at the party, but also in Angie’s life. Her thoughts reflect the circumstances surrounding teen pregnancy and emphasize the difficulties girls face beyond the birth itself. Lauren will not only be haunted by choosing adoption but will also lose the only family she has ever had. Meanwhile, David will forget “this” ever happened, go to Stanford, and carry on with his life.

“It hurt too much to look at him, so she closed her eyes. ‘I think I’ll go to sleep.

‘Oh. Okay. Mom and I are going school shopping anyway. Do you need anything?’

School. She’d forgotten all about that.

‘No.’”

When David visits after the birth, Lauren has descended into melancholy. As he talks about school shopping, the stark contrast between how this birth impacts each of them is evident. As Lauren suspected, life will go on for him, the baby merely being a “mistake” on the road to a full life. Meanwhile, she is emotionally scarred. Her comment that she does not need anything for school reveals her sadness but also foreshadows the decision she will make.