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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

Physical Distance

In order to reduce the risk of cross-contamination of bacteria, patients with cystic fibrosis must stay at least six feet apart from one another. Whenever Stella and Will interact, there is always space between them. On their first meeting, Barb orders Will to remain six feet away from Stella, reminding them of the importance of staying apart. However, as they become closer, the physical distance between them is emblematic of the impossibility of them being together in any real way. By agreeing to stay five feet apart instead of six, they attempt to close that distance and, in doing so, put each other at risk. When Will tries to comfort Stella after Poe’s death by putting his arms around her, Stella pushes him away and backs up as far as she can, showing the danger of getting closer and Stella’s instinct to keep distance between them. However, after deciding that she would rather be with Will than live longer, on the ice they tumble into each other, finally closing the gap. Eventually, however, Will determines that he can’t bear to bring any harm or pain to Stella by passing on B. cepacia, so he asserts the space between them again by leaving for good.

Breathing

Since cystic fibrosis causes damage to the lungs, difficulty breathing is a common symptom for cystic fibrosis patients. In the story, the struggle to breathe is physical as well as metaphorical, as the illness is constantly looming over Stella’s, Will’s, and Poe’s heads, making it nearly impossible for them to relax, have fun, or make long-term plans for their lives. All of the scenes in the novel with intense conflict show the characters with cystic fibrosis struggling for breath, demonstrating how this action that is essential to life is a constant battle. After Will pulls Stella out of the pond, he performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, literally giving her his own breath. With this action, Will proves that he would give up his own life to save hers.

Death

Death looms over the characters throughout the novel, as Stella, Will, and Poe live with a condition that will eventually be fatal. Stella checks herself into the hospital worried about her lung function and wills herself to survive until she can get a new set of lungs. However, her sister Abby’s recent death hangs over her head more than her own eventual passing. Stella long ago made peace with her own death, but it is the death of the people she loves that she cannot bear. Poe’s death seems unthinkable to Stella, even though she knew logically it was only a matter of time. Will, on the other hand, at the beginning of the novel seems blasé about the thought of his own death. When he nearly falls off the roof of the hospital, both he and Stella realize that he actually does desire to keep living. Although these characters seem to be as prepared for death as any young person could be, they value their lives and the lives of their loved ones too much to welcome it.

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