51 pages • 1 hour read
Goodman Sara ConfinoDon't Forget to Write: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Red Lipstick
Marilyn’s red lipstick is a symbol of her coming-of-age journey. When she first meets Ada, Ada tells her that her red lipstick makes her “look like a tart” (30). She clarifies that it is not the color that she objects to—it is the fact that it does not suit Marilyn. Marilyn repeatedly asks for her lipstick back, especially when she wants to dress up for men like Freddy. Ada refuses her every time, telling her that she does not “have enough life experience to wear the red” and that she looks like she “broke into [her] mother’s makeup while she was out” (59). The suggestion that Marilyn is too immature to wear such a sophisticated color does not sit well with her, and she eventually steals the lipstick back. At this point in her coming-of-age journey, she has yet to understand the lessons that Ada is trying to teach her.
After her romance with Freddy implodes and she realizes that he is not who she thought he was, Marilyn’s feelings about Ada’s advice shift. She starts to take herself more seriously and think about what she wants from life. It is only when Ada feels that Marilyn has truly matured that she allows her to wear the red lipstick again. Marilyn is getting ready to go out with Daniel at this point, having accepted him into her life because she recognizes that he is not going to try and make her into something that she does not want to be. Ada approves of Daniel because she knows that he will treat Marilyn well and will not force her to adhere to rigid traditions or gendered expectations. By giving Marilyn her lipstick back, Ada indicates that she now trusts Marilyn to make the right choices for herself.
Ada’s Typewriter
The typewriter that Ada gives to Marilyn symbolizes a path to freedom and gives Marilyn a way forward in her goal of Living a Nontraditional Life. When Ada first gives her the typewriter, Marilyn is slow to start writing, preferring to spend her time at the beach with Freddy. However, when Ada threatens to take the typewriter away, Marilyn realizes how important it is. While Rose has encouraged her writing in the past, Ada is the first person to give Marilyn the tools she needs to succeed. By validating her interest in becoming a writer, Ada shows Marilyn how to take her life seriously and pursue her dreams.
Although Marilyn does not want to get married, she still adheres to social expectations by flirting with boys and making her interest in and pursuit of romantic partners the primary focus of her life. Her father would have no problem with this if she were to get married and make one man the center of her life. However, Marilyn does not want to get married and comes to realize that she wants more out of life. Writing is something that she is very good at, and it could give her a career and independence. The typewriter is a physical manifestation of Ada’s hope for Marilyn: that she will take her life into her own hands, take control of her future, and pursue her own independence to be happy.
Photographs
The photographs that Marilyn sorts through for Ada symbolize Ada’s growing trust in Marilyn. When Marilyn first meets her, Ada is cagey and does not trust her at all with the details of her life. She avoids questions about her past, her love life, and her finances. As the two grow closer, they realize that they are very similar. Ada comes to trust Marilyn more and more, eventually entrusting her with the task of sorting through all her photographs. The photographs help Marilyn understand Ada’s life better. She sees Ada as a complete person written across history, and, as Daniel says, “There’s so much nuance to a good photograph” (289).
There is a lot that Ada cannot tell Marilyn about her life, so the photographs do the talking for her. The photographs can tell Marilyn that Ada has known Lillian for many years, for instance, correcting Marilyn’s assumptions that Lillian is nothing more than a paid companion for her great-aunt or that she is someone Marilyn could easily replace. By piecing together Ada’s life in photographs, Marilyn gets to know her deeply, and Ada can tell her story without saying anything out loud. The final photograph that she gives Marilyn is the final piece of the puzzle: the confession that Lillian is her second great love and that they have disappeared together to live in Key West.
