Paper Things

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of homelessness, stigma, and discrimination against people without a home, including violence and verbal abuse. It also contains content related to childhood bullying and bereavement.

“I’ve thought of starting new families instead of continually adding on to the one I have, but part of me wishes I belong to a big family. With a big family you’re likely to have someone watching out for you always.”

Ari makes paper families out of cutouts from catalogs and has done so since her mother got sick. It is a way to connect to her past and reflects her longing for a family that she might have had but now never will. Ari hates the idea of being alone, and the thought of a big family comforts her.

“Twenty-six cents won’t get you much, but a library card will.”

While having no home, Ari learns the power of small but important things like library cards and loose change on the sidewalk. While having so little, she comes to value what few things she does have and the small rewards that they bring.

“You’re not my father! I feel like saying. But I don’t. Instead I stay invisible. At least, that’s what my silence feels like to me: I’m deep inside myself—with Gage, but not with Gage.”

Ari and Gage often argue and have conflicts due to the stress of the situation as well as the unspoken resentment that Ari has toward Gage for lying to her. Added to this is the fact that Gage feels guilty for putting Ari in such a situation. Ari often has difficulty speaking up for herself or saying what is truly on her mind. This passage is an example of how the first-person perspective allows the reader to understand Ari’s feelings when she doesn’t communicate them.