The Charm Offensive

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-12

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Dev’s Script

Featuring two men of color in love, Dev’s script, and his hesitation to show it to producers, symbolizes the necessity of representation for diversity in mainstream media. When Parisa offers to promote Dev’s script with publishers, Dev rejects the idea: “we get like one studio queer movie a year if we’re lucky, and they’re usually about two white people. My movie is not marketable” (162). Dev believes that producers are unwilling to make a film representing LGBTQ+ love, especially between two characters of color. Charlie begins to question his sexual identity after reading the script and struggling with attraction to Dev, underscoring the importance of LGBTQ+ representation to provide messages of inclusion. Dev’s script illustrates the ramifications of a single love story and the need for sexual diversity in books, movies, and television.

Dev’s hesitation to share his script with anyone, even Charlie, symbolizes how Dev hides himself from others. He informs Charlie, “it’s super personal. The script is a lot of me. It’s, like, all of me. I put all of myself into it, and if you hated it, it would be like…” (92). Dev greatly fears others rejecting the parts of him that are more vulnerable and serious. Dev always pulls away when he and Charlie enter into emotional conversations, guarding his heart from Charlie’s rejection. Dev feels anxious about Charlie disliking his script because it directly represents Dev’s identity. When Charlie declares his love for Dev’s script, he foreshadows Dev’s journey to understand he is worthy of unconditional love.

Ever After’s Crowns

The plastic crowns awarded during crowning ceremonies represent Ever After’s message and false belief by many characters that love is conditional and must be earned. Charlie connects the crown to the message is promotes, as he feels he must earn the image of a prince by acting the way others expect him to while on set: “The man on the magazine cover is a lie—a lie he has to live for the next two months” (11). The show’s producers create a prince charming personality for Charlie that they expect him to live up to, where he is to receive the affections of 20 women, and eventual love and marriage with one woman as his “prize.” Charlie does not meet the show’s heteronormative standards, though the producers continue to portray Charlie as masculine, confident, and bold. The show’s premise of performance to earn love is supported by the contestants’ continuous attempts to exploit the show to further their own careers—they may not earn Charlie by the show’s end, but they’ll earn more followers and subscribers, at least.

Though the crown symbolizes conditional love in the beginning of the narrative, it comes to symbolize unconditional love by the end as Dev gladly accepts the crown Charlie offers him during the live finale. Through their individual journeys of personal growth and self-acceptance, the men are able to extend unconditional love for one another, and the crown serves as the ultimate gesture to signify this development. Charlie renews Dev’s beliefs about unconditional love when he presents Dev with the crown, extending his love even as he knows of Dev’s mental health struggles with depression. Charlie proves to Dev that unconditional love exists by crowning him, fulfilling Dev emotionally.

“Calm” in Morse Code

Dev learning to tap “calm” in Morse code is a motif representing The Significance of Emotional Support From Romantic Partners. Charlie never teaches Dev the correct pattern for “calm,” demonstrating how closely Dev observes Charlie and how profoundly he cares for Charlie’s well-being. In comparison, a female contestant “gives his leg a pat, tries to tap out the pattern on his knee without knowing it” (282). The contestant doesn’t see or understand Charlie in the same way as Dev because she isn’t in love with him. Understanding Charlie’s needs comes naturally to Dev as if he and Charlie both speak their own language. Still, Dev makes no assumptions and allows Charlie to articulate his needs, empowering Charlie to extend the same support and love to Dev.

By adopting this coping mechanism for himself, Dev highlights how romantic relationships can inspire change and growth. Deciding to leave Charlie, Dev “drums out the Morse code for ‘calm’ against his shins and tries to remember how to breathe. Tries to remind himself he survived losing Ryan, once. He can survive losing Charlie, too” (299). Dev contemplates how his previous partner influenced his life while choosing himself over Charlie. Dev’s previous relationships provide value to his overall life experiences, and by using Charlie’s coping mechanism, Dev soothes his emotional stress without avoidance or alcohol.