The Wish

In both the past and present timelines of the narrative, Maggie’s relationships allow her to cope with challenging and traumatic experiences by moving her from static isolation to dynamic action. The friendships she forms in both the past and the present, help Maggie process her hardships, emphasizing the value of human connection. In the past timeline, She arrives in Ocracoke upset and lost, spending much of her time in her room, refusing to do her schoolwork or eat with Aunt Linda so that she can spend as much time as she can alone. On top of the changes in her body due to her pregnancy, Maggie feels disoriented by the loss of the staples of her life in Seattle—television, phone calls, her friends—and struggles to adjust to life in the jarring new reality of Ocracoke. However, from the very beginning, Linda and Gwen welcome Maggie, providing her with a home, taking her to church, and organizing family dinners—all without forcing Maggie to come out of her shell before she is ready. Both Linda and Gwen often serve as silent support to Maggie, offering her guidance, especially about her pregnancy, without overwhelming her. 

Sparks emphasizes the ways Linda uses small moments of connection to earn Maggie’s trust and signal that she is someone on whom Maggie can rely. Maggie initially resists Linda’s attempts at connecting with her, largely because of the challenging relationship that she has with her own parents. However, Linda encourages her to become comfortable with her pregnant body and protects her from the judgment of others. For example, when Maggie needs new clothes, Linda senses Maggie’s discomfort and tells her to “head to the car and wait” while she buys them. This small act of kindness makes Maggie realize that “a nun” was “actually one of the coolest people [she] knew” (150-51). Throughout Maggie’s pregnancy, Linda allows her to stay home from church when she’s not comfortable going out in public, gives her advice on how to deal with her pregnancy symptoms, and keeps Maggie’s pregnancy a secret until Maggie is ready to tell people. 

Sparks positions human connection as central to Maggie’s journey by contrasting Linda’s love and support with the embarrassment and criticism of Maggie’s parents. When Maggie’s parents send her away, Linda welcomes Maggie into her home and community. While Maggie’s parents shun and judge her, Linda encourages and reassures her in moments when she feels insecurity and doubt. When Maggie develops feelings for Bryce, Linda does not judge her, allowing her the space to explore those feelings and providing advice only when Maggie asks. In this way, Maggie finds someone who shows her unconditional love for the first time. Ultimately, Sparks suggests, these moments of genuine connection allow Maggie to navigate a difficult time and emerge from it able to claim her own independence and make her own decisions about her life and future.

In the novel’s present timeline, Maggie finds a similar connection to Mark that allows her to cope with her impending death and her lasting grief over the loss of Bryce. For several weeks after finding out about her diagnosis, Mark is the only person that Maggie tells about it. At first, she does so because he happens to be there when she has a breakdown. However, as time goes on, she recognizes his care, as he supports her, comforts her, and above all else, listens to her as she tells her story for the first time. Near the end of her story, Maggie notes how “remarkably, [she isn’t] exhausted or uncomfortable, especially compared to how she’d been feeling earlier. Reliving the past ha[s] revived her in a way she [didn’t] expect” (341). Telling Mark—someone with whom she feels an instinctual human connection—her story allows her to cope with the struggle of her illness and the grief surrounding her impending death.

At the end of the novel, Maggie tells the story of Bryce’s death for the first time, finding comfort in Mark’s presence and support as she does so. She acknowledges that, after finding out about Bryce’s death, she fled to New York City and had several ill-fated relationships, then threw herself into her work instead of appropriately coping with how it affected her. Now at the end of her life, Maggie is able to face Bryce’s death for the first time, and with Mark’s support she shares their love story, faces her grief, and begins to heal. The scattering of Maggie’s ashes on the beach in Ocracoke brings the narrative full circle, symbolically returning Maggie to the place she was happiest, leaving Mark to carry on the love she and Bryce shared.