Iveliz Explains It All

From one perspective, the journal is a beneficial symbol. It provides Iveliz with a space where she can express her unmitigated feelings. Iveliz feels alone and isolated, and the journal makes her feel like she has someone who’s unconditionally on her side. From a different angle, the safe space enables traits that Iveliz needs to work on. Since the journal isn’t a person, it can’t moderate Iveliz’s sweeping emotions, nor can it push her to try to embrace different perspectives—attitudes that will make her less dependent on the journal since she’ll be able to confide in actual people. Thus, the symbolism is positive and negative. Iveliz realizes the limits of her journal when she announces,

I kind of like explaining myself

with my whole body,

and not hiding in paper,

where I can turn the page (261).

Due to Dr. Turnip, Iveliz becomes comfortable speaking to other people about her feelings. As she can tell them what she used to only be able to say in her journal, the journal’s importance diminishes. More so, Iveliz realizes that the security her journal represents has disadvantages. Swaddled in her journal, no one could get to her, so no one could pull her out of her “hole” or “darkness.” For substantial help, Iveliz had to go beyond her journal.

The motif of talking supports The Complexities of Mental Health Conditions. The story indicates that no one should expect people to immediately grasp what someone with a mental health condition is going through. Mental health conditions are multilayered and nuanced, and to understand them, the person with them must communicate what they’re experiencing. They must also be willing to listen. Once Iveliz adopted Dr. Turnip’s advice and began painstakingly speaking to people, they—her family and friends—listened and embraced her.

The motif of talking also underpins The Importance of Maintaining Balanced Relationships. One central reason why Iveliz has difficulty keeping even-keel relationships is that she doesn’t feel like she can properly express her overwhelming feelings. She expects people to know what she’s going through. When she calls Amir after Mimi calls her Tania, she assumes that Amir will answer. When she doesn’t, she becomes angry. A similar dynamic occurs with Akiko. She gets revenge on the boys who bully Akiko without speaking to Akiko, and she lets Akiko give her a makeover without communicating why a seemingly “fun” activity might bother her. The lack of communication produces immoderate reactions and connections between Iveliz and her friends.

The motif of talk bolsters Misunderstandings Between Adults and Young People, too. As Mami forcibly drives Iveliz to Dr. Turnip, Iveliz thinks she could get to choose if she wants to see him. Iveliz adds, “[I]t’s my body and my brain / don’t kids have any rights?” (90). Regularly, Iveliz depicts adults as oppressors who aren’t interested in what young people have to say. However, once she starts talking sincerely, Dr. Turnip and Mami listen, so sincere discussion helps collapse the conflict between adults and kids.