50 pages • 1 hour read
Rachael LippincottFive Feet Apart
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Surviving Versus Living
Set almost entirely in a hospital, Five Feet Apart chronicles the lives of two cystic fibrosis patients attempting to navigate the physical, emotional, and spiritual barriers that threaten them. Underneath each character’s development lies a common journey to survive very real and ubiquitous physical dangers. Stella, in particular, centers her whole life on her need for a lung transplant. She hopes to spare her parents further pain, since they are already grieving Abby’s death and the dissolution of their marriage. Consequently, Stella has made survival her life’s purpose. Her obsessive and meticulous focus forms the foundation of her early interactions with others in the novel, until the entrance of rebellious newcomer Will upends her plans.
In contrast to Stella, Will does not focus on survival or mere existence; instead, he focuses on active and adventurous living. Afflicted with B. cepacia and the subsequent loss of his spot on the lung transplant list, Will does not have much faith in his longevity. This paired with his resentment toward his mother’s unrelenting focus on his survival shapes Will’s motivation not to survive but to spend the time he does have living at the fullest. For Will, life is more than just surviving or existing—it’s about truly living and enjoying that existence.
Will’s disregard for his health and his heightened emphasis on living results in reckless actions, like not wearing a mask and disobeying doctors’ and nurses’ orders. This disregard initially infuriates Stella. However, when Stella’s careful plans fail to save her from a G-tube infection that requires a dangerous surgery, she comes to reevaluate the value of her life and relaxes her rigid adherence to order and routine. Will shows Stella what life has to offer and, through his burgeoning love and protection for her, realizes he must take responsibility for his actions. Their shared love teaches Stella that survival is vital but not enough, and it teaches Will that living with reckless abandon is irresponsible and has consequences. Each comes to see the merits of the other’s point of view, and by the novel’s end they meet in the middle, striking a balance between surviving and living.
The Persistence of Hope
Hope persists throughout Five Feet Apart, even as Stella and Will struggle with their complicated and personal relationships with death and illness. Despite her hospitalization early in the novel, Stella maintains an ambitious focus on her hope for a lung transplant. Desperate to save her parents from more loss, Stella believes wholeheartedly in hope’s power to propel her closer to her goal of survival. Stella is so committed to her goal that she does not allow Will’s cynicism to shatter her expectations. In fact, Stella’s hope proves contagious, as Will slowly adopts Stella’s rigorous regimen. Though initially resistant to Stella’s hope-fueled routine, Will continues to follow her guidance through their tumultuous seasons of love and separation. He notes the impact Stella has had on him in fueling his desire to live. Through Stella’s influence, Will comes to believe that there is something worth living for.
While Will’s hope flourishes, Stella’s hope suffers a temporary setback when she’s faced with the reality of her G-tube infection. Already grieving the loss of her main support system in Abby, Stella pulls away from Will’s attempts to soothe her and spirals into fear. However, it is her own investment in reviving Will’s sense of hope that saves her, as Will, inspired by Stella’s example, shows up for Stella and reminds her of all the love still in her life. Stella later reminds Will of this same lesson when she reimagines the six feet of physical distance between them as only five feet. Reclaiming this one foot of closeness, taking the distance that separates them and exerting control over it, instills renewed hope in both Stella and Will.
Ultimately, it is Will’s learned hope that leads him to entreat Stella to agree to the lung transplant. While Stella focuses on what the lung transplant will take from her, Will instead asks Stella to consider what the lung transplant will allow her to pursue. This promise of the future, and Abby’s insistence that Stella live, encourages Stella to accept the lung transplant though it means Will’s absence from her life. She ends the novel healthier and hopeful as she prepares to travel to the Sistine Chapel, just as she and Abby planned. She acknowledges Will’s role in reminding her of the power of hope in the novel’s final moments, when she invokes the five feet of distance and smiles.
True Love as Sacrifice
Stella and Will’s relationship stands at the center of Five Feet Apart. As they fall deeper in love, Stella and Will learn the definition of true love and seek to balance their individual needs with their intense love for one another. It is through their love for each other that they learn more about themselves. Stella learns to release the pressure that threatens to consume her and learns to live for herself. While previously reliant on her sister Abby’s adventures, through which she lived vicariously, Stella learns from Will that she must live for herself. As she transitions from merely surviving to living fully, Stella accepts the distanced reality of their relationship.
Through his relationship with Stella, Will learns to care for someone besides himself. He sacrifices his comfort and pursuit of pleasure to provide for Stella in her times of need, demonstrating selflessness and restraint. Despite his intense longing for Stella, Will understands that his decision to walk away reflects the true love he holds for her. He does not regret his choice or doubt its necessity to ensure Stella’s survival and hope for a new chance at life.
Similarly, Stella and Will’s parents come to understand that they must sacrifice their own needs to truly love their children. Stella’s parents let go of their stubborn discord with one another to unite for Stella. After Barb reprimands them, they learn to set aside their differences out of love for Stella. Likewise, Will’s mother sacrifices her need for control to reconcile her fractured relationship with her son. As a result, she and Will are finally able to recognize their common love for one another. Will comes to understand his mother’s fears regarding his death, and she comes to understand Will’s need for independence.
