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Real-life TV personality Ellen DeGeneres functions as a creative coping mechanism for Lily, allowing her to express herself in the midst of her dysfunctional adolescence. As a teen, Lily confides in a journal in the form of a series of letters to Ellen, whom she considers a sort of surrogate parent. Her reliance on Ellen illustrates the ways in which Lily finds her own parents lacking, as neither is able to give Lily the support she needs. Within the narrative, Lily’s journal entries to Ellen create a unique framing device, allowing the reader to experience Lily’s past in tandem with her present and providing context as the story progresses.
Ellen also provides a means by which Lily and Atlas are able to bond as teenagers. Together they watch her show every day after school, and they also watch Finding Nemo, in which Ellen voices the character Dory, when Atlas is sick. The pair often quote Dory’s famous “Just keep swimming” line to each other when one of them is struggling and needs support as a reminder not to give up. When she’s young, Lily considers Ellen a welcome reprieve, and it’s notable that, as an adult, Lily and Atlas watch Ellen together after Lily, having been abused by Ryle, asks Atlas to come get her. Where once Ellen offered an escape from the reality created by her father, now she offers an escape from the life Lily has with Ryle, underscoring the similarities between Ryle and Lily’s father. Further highlighting these similarities is Lily’s return to her journal entries in adulthood. Lily stopped writing them after Atlas left because the two had become intertwined in her mind, each having once brought her joy, and thinking of Ellen became a painful reminder of what her father had done to Atlas and the fact that Atlas was gone. Lily only begins writing to Ellen again as an adult once she is able to admit to herself that she is in an abusive relationship. Ultimately, giving her daughter the middle name Dory, a name meaningful to both her and Atlas and a testament to their combined strength and resilience, speaks to Lily’s ability to “Just keep swimming,” implying hope for the future.
