Dear Edward

The passengers on the plane continue to strengthen their relationships with one another. Mark asks Veronica on a date, and Florida daydreams about spending more time with Linda in California. Crispin, however, fixates on the past in his dreams. This is significant for two reasons.

First, Crispin’s reluctance to make new connections is more pronounced than any other character. Even stoic characters, such as Benjamin, have moments to connect with others. Crispin refuses to do the same, withdrawing into himself and his past instead. His refusal to connect and grow with others in the present moment goes hand-in-hand with his death.

In his final moments, Crispin dreams about his older brother. While his relationship with his older brother is far more contentious than that between Jordan and Edward, there are parallels. Edward allows himself to live in a space of victimhood after the crash, illustrated through his connection to Jordan. In the same way that Crispin’s obsession with the past impedes his growth, Edward’s fixation on his deceased brother paralyzes him.

Edward must act before he can begin to heal. He chooses to read the letters and confront the ripples of tragedy caused by the crash. The fact that it is his choice is key. Others have offered to help Edward, but they have all been unsuccessful. Only through this action—and with Shay’s help—does Edward begin to understand the significance of the tragedy he survived.

Edward sees parallels to his fears in Gary’s letter, for example; Gary is traumatized by his loss of Linda and worries about his ability to handle future loss. In a sense, Edward is connecting with the other passengers through their grieving loved ones.

Edward’s sense of control is not complete, however. This is most similar to Jane just after Crispin’s death. The turbulence comforts her because she fears a lack of control in her own body; if the shaking is coming from herself, she is not in control. Her thoughts ignore the larger truth, though: her safety also depends on the safety of the plane at large. It is not enough for Edward to confront his grief—he can only heal by helping his larger community, including others who are suffering.

Edward is not alone in his quest. Shay fills the role of sidekick once she and Edward open the letters, but she is an incredibly active sidekick. She speaks for Edward by writing the responses to the letters. At first, Edward focuses on healing himself. Reading the letters helps him sleep, but he is not personally reaching out to the letter writers. It makes sense that the loss of Jordan almost solely represents Edward’s sense of tragedy at this point in the novel. Jordan symbolizes everyone who died in the plane crash, and until Edward can reconnect with his own identity concerning Jordan, he will not be strong enough to help others.

Edward’s weightlifting directly mirrors his healing process. He is persistent, and the action helps him heal. From an outside perspective, though, he has gained no muscle, and the first steps of his physical healing are invisible. In a literal sense, they are only internal. By working through his grief over the loss of Jordan, he is making similar progress without directly impacting the outside world.

Edward and Shay’s adolescence remains a hurdle in the story; it is another factor outside of their control that threatens to drive a wedge between them. As Edward and Shay near sexual maturity, Besa worries about their relationship. This is similar to her concern about Edward sleeping on Shay’s floor. This time, however, there is no impact on their friendship. Besa moves past her concerns quickly. Now that Edward and Shay are using their time together to positively impact the larger world, threats from that world are less effective.

This is a moment of choice for Edward. He must reconcile with the loss of his brother or face permanent stagnation. An unwillingness to act will paralyze him forever. Principal Arundhi’s ferns represent that choice. The virus that kills his ferns creates tragedy for Arundhi, but he acts. He reaches out for help, asking Edward to take care of his most prized plant. As Edward reconciles with the death that affected him most on the plane (Jordan’s), he must take steps to save Arundhi’s beloved fern. He can preserve the legacy of all the plants by healing a survivor of the virus; he can preserve the legacy of Jordan and the other victims by healing the lone survivor of the crash: himself.