Juliet Takes a Breath

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Air

Juliet consistently feels like there is a lack of air throughout the novel, especially because she is asthmatic. She feels like she cannot breathe when she is anxious, which is usually triggered by moments where she feels uncomfortable. Juliet’s need for air represents her need for escape from the pressure of other people’s expectations. She struggles to breathe when she talks to Lainie about their relationship, when she talks to her mother on the phone, and when Harlowe stereotypes her in the bookstore. Before she has her final confrontation about Harlowe’s racism at the end of the novel, Juliet struggles to breathe on the hike. After she confronts Harlowe, Juliet is able to breathe easier. When Juliet thinks about all the love she has in her life while floating down the river at the end of the novel, she remembers that she can live forever if she “just let go of [her] fear and lived [her] truth,” which is when Juliet “finally knew what it was to just breathe” (300). Juliet is finally able to understand that she has no need to escape from her life because she has all the love that she needs in herself.

Blood

Blood symbolizes deep connections between people and themselves. While blood can symbolize the familial blood and the bonds that family have together, in Juliet Takes a Breath it also symbolizes a person’s connection to the love they have for their own body. When Juliet gets her period earlier than expected, Harlowe treats it as though it is special instead of as a burden on Juliet’s body. Harlowe tells Juliet that “periods should always be celebrated,” putting a different spin on period blood for Juliet (127). The idea that periods should be seen positively makes Juliet think differently about her femininity and how periods can give a sense of power rather than only giving a sense of dread.

In terms of familial blood, Juliet spends the novel thinking about her family a lot. Even with all the struggles that she has with her mother and the lack of acceptance her mother has for Juliet’s gayness, she still feels her love. When she visits her cousin Ava in Miami, her aunt tells Juliet that “you’ve got our blood running through your beautiful veins, so no matter what, you’ve been blessed with the spirit of women who know how to love” (234). Blood bonds their family together and empowers them as women no matter their circumstances.

Literature

Literature plays an important role in Juliet’s life. As an aspiring writer, Juliet values the written word and those who aspire to write as well. When she starts her research for Harlowe’s internship, her first stop is the library. For Juliet, “libraries had zero tolerance for bullshit. Their walls protected us and kept us safe from all the bastards that never read a book for fun” (118). Juliet sees reading as a way to escape but also as a way to educate. She learns more about the darker history of the US by reading and meets new writers at a writers’ workshop for people of color. Juliet feels like books are transformative, which is why her internship with Harlowe was so vital to her after reading Harlowe’s book Raging Flower. As Juliet learns more about herself during her summer internship, she also starts to understand the power she has as a writer. When discussing her issues with Harlowe with her mother, Juliet states, “You said reading would make me brilliant, but writing would make me infinite” (272). Only her own writing about her own experience will make her story live on forever because literacy has power.