LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Health
Art and Self-Discovery
Peer Pressure vs. Self-Empowerment
Friendship and Romance
Summary
Analysis
The previous fall, Craig stopped eating normally. It’s as though his stomach shrank and no longer accepts foods he used to like. During the brief moments when “the Shift” occurs and he is suddenly able to eat, he stuffs himself to compensate.
This passage emphasizes how depression is not just a mental condition—it can also have a physical effect on the body. Craig’s inability to eat shows how his body is rejecting the things it needs to stay alive.