52 pages • 1 hour read
Tell Me Three Things
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Symbols & Motifs
“The Waste Land”
Jessie pairs up with Ethan for their English project on T. S. Eliot's “The Waste Land,” an iconic modernist poem published in 1922. This assignment is the basis of them spending time together, but their friendship develops into something much more meaningful than just study partners. They bond over their love of books and poetry, discussing the parts they have trouble understanding and the parts they feel drawn to. The lines Ethan recites (which he later admits he memorized to impress Jessie) all come from the first part of the poem, “The Burial of the Dead.” This section is known for its themes of fear, uncertainty, and despair, which are certainly relevant for Jessie and Ethan (as is the title itself), as they feel all these things after losing their loved ones.
Though it is never confirmed, Ethan's negative reaction to the famous opening line, “April is the cruelest month,” suggests that April is the month his brother Xander died. The line is provoking for Jessie, too, as it reminds her of her mother's reading notes—one of the things Jessie deeply regrets not asking her about while she was still alive. Before Jessie leaves for her visit to Chicago, Ethan quotes the line about the Hyacinth garden, and they both identify with the inability to speak and feeling “neither Living nor dead” (232). Their grief connects them, and “The Waste Land” provides them with a context in which they can relate to one another.
Jessie’s Laptop Stickers
On Jessie's laptop are several stickers that Scarlett created for her: the Korean characters for “best friend,” a snake, and the line “to thine own self be true.” The stickers serve as a tangible reminder of their friendship, despite their distance, and as reminders of who Jessie is, despite her self-doubt. When Gem makes fun of the stickers, Jessie remains unshaken, proud of her friend's talent and the ability to carry a piece of Scar with her. Despite all the difficult confrontations and choices Jessie faces, she does stay true to herself, even if it is hard for her to see that. After her weekend in Chicago, Scarlett gifts Jessie a new sticker of a ninja, explaining: “I wanted you to see yourself the way I see you: as a fighter. Strong and stealthy. Totally kick-ass. Completely and utterly your mother’s daughter” (278). This provides Jessie with the reassurance and courage she needs to face her new life in LA, and ultimately, she realizes that she has always been much stronger than she realized.
Rachel and Theo's House
Jessie recognizes that “there are worse places [she] could have ended up than living in the pages of Architectural Digest,” and does not want to be ungrateful, but the Scotts' house's “utter lack of homeyness” makes Jessie feel unwelcome from the moment she arrives (37). The uneasiness Jessie feels being in the house mirrors the uncertainty she feels about everything in her newly disrupted life. Jessie's new bedroom is one of the guest rooms, kept so meticulously tidy that the only personal thing she feels comfortable putting on display is a photo of her with her mom. When she finds Rachel in her room, waiting to talk to her one evening, Jessie thinks to herself: “[...] I remember this is not my room at all. This is Rachel's guest room, and my sleeping here confirms what I already know: I am merely an interloper” (225).
The house is so large that Jessie hardly interacts with anyone when she is there, feeling even further isolated in a space that is supposed to bring comfort and support. Following Rachel and Bill's explosive fight, Jessie feels like their place in the house becomes even more tenuous, anxiously expecting to get kicked out at any moment. At the end of the novel, though, as Jessie becomes more sure of herself and the new life she is creating for herself in LA, Rachel encourages her to make the bedroom into her own space—a reminder that this house really is Jessie's home now too. Jessie grows to recognize that this place houses the pain of her dad, Rachel, and Theo, not just her own, but that despite their collective loss and grief, it is also “a house of starting over” (312).
Three Things
The title of the novel comes from the ritual Jessie and SN develop while messaging online. What starts as a fun, playful way for them to share silly facts about themselves evolves into sharing much deeper, vulnerable secrets that they have not told anyone. Through this regular sharing, they become more deeply connected and grow to understand each other on a very intimate, personal level—enough that Jessie feels truly understood, or “seen,” by SN, even though she does not know who he is. At one point, Jessie realizes that this habit with SN resembles her family's old dinner routine, where they would each share something about their days around the dinner table—a piece of her past that has woven its way into her new life, albeit in a different form. Even when Ethan reveals himself to be SN, Jessie wants to continue their game as a way to continue strengthening their relationship.
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