Heartstopper: Volume One

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | YA | Published in 2018

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Friendship

Friendship is a central motif in Heartstopper and forms the basis of the key relationship between Charlie and Nick. Long before Charlie and Nick become romantically involved, they become very close friends. It starts out as any other friendship might—they are seated next to each other in registration. Nick is outgoing and friendly and says hi to Charlie every morning. On the fifth day, Nick’s pen explodes, and Charlie helps him clean up. He teases Nick, saying, “You can make it the new school fashion” (18). Charlie and Nick bond in this moment, and they only become closer after this. When Nick notices how fast Charlie can run, he invites him to join the rugby team. Nick is very supportive and defends Charlie when the other boys are skeptical. He calls Charlie a “really cool guy” (62) and admires Charlie’s willingness to learn a new sport and how quickly he improves.

When Charlie is assaulted in the music room after class one day, Ben interferes and saves him. By sharing this traumatic experience, their bond is solidified, and Nick goes home thinking about Charlie. He worries so much that he texts Charlie to make sure he is okay. Doing so gives Charlie confidence that Nick genuinely likes him, and their friendship continues to grow. They end up spending most of their time together, both inside and outside of class, and both value their friendship outside of any romantic attraction.

Friendship also has negative effects on Nick and Charlie as people in their friendship circles become judgmental, insulting, and manipulative. Tao Xu, who is Charlie’s other friend, continuously tries to convince Charlie to give up on Nick. Nick’s friends berate him both to his face and behind his back, saying things like, “Why do you even hang out with him?” and “D’you just feel sorry for him because he’s gay?” (223). Because Nick and Charlie’s bond is so strong, both of them are able to stand up to the bullying and judgment for the most part. However, Volume One ends on a cliffhanger in which Nick leaves Charlie alone at the party after seemingly fearing being caught kissing him.

Seasons, Leaves, and Blossoms

The change of the seasons is used in Heartstopper to symbolize the budding relationship between Charlie and Nick. As they become closer and learn more about each other, their affection grows, and winter turns into spring. What was once a cold and lonely place for Charlie becomes warm, welcoming, and alive. When it snows the day Charlie visits Nick’s house, Nick lends him a sweater and they spend an innocent afternoon throwing snowballs and making snow angels. The seasons both set the scene and showcase the warming up of Charlie and Nick to one another.

Leaves decorate the pages of the graphic novel and carry different metaphorical meanings depending on their usage. They create the setting of cold winter days in England, indicating that a scene is taking place outside. The leaves also serve as a backdrop and to fill negative space, decorating the pages and creating a wistful and light atmosphere despite the often-heavy subject matter. Thoughts and dialogue are connected with dustings of leaves, showing the flow of conversation from one person to another. Several frames blend out into a flurry of leaves, such as the moment after Charlie meets Nick and is thinking of him on the way home—the fence behind him blurs upward and morphs into floating leaves. Similarly, when Nick reaches his hand out to Charlie after his pen explodes, his fingers covered in ink, the ink blends into a cluster of leaves. The leaves also connect pages and characters’ expressions together, indicating the continuation of a scene or the connection between Nick and Charlie.

Flowers also begin appearing as Nick and Charlie’s relationship blossoms. The couple plays together, and both their friendship and secret affections for one another grows. The flowers accent the pages during these scenes and represent the increasing attachment and emotions they both feel. With the inclusion of the blossoms, the leaves take on even further symbolic meaning. The blossoms represent the pleasant parts of falling in love, but the leaves surrounding Nick as he struggles with understanding his feelings for Charlie indicate a change of his inner seasons and an ending to his current image of himself.

Competition

Competition is a regularly occurring motif in Heartstopper. It surfaces in many different forms, which serve either to characterize or to develop elements of plot. One of the main reasons Nick and Charlie first begin to connect outside of class is because Nick asks Charlie to join the school rugby team. He does this after seeing Charlie running far ahead of the rest of his class and notes that his speed would be useful in rugby. Nick teaches Charlie how to play, and competition creates cooperation that becomes friendship. Nick admires the competitive streak in Charlie and compliments him on his Mario Kart skills when Charlie visits his house: “You’re just good at everything, you nerd!” (143).

Competition also surfaces in Charlie’s romantic life. Many different people are competing for Charlie’s attention and affection, and at first he is unsure how to handle it. When Charlie rejects Ben and begins hanging out with Nick, Ben comes on even stronger and assaults Charlie. He does this again at the birthday party, even knowing that Charlie and Ben are becoming closer. Tao Xu also competes for Charlie’s attention, constantly trying to plant doubt in Charlie’s mind about Nick. He does not want Charlie to spend time with Nick and neglects to show any support for Charlie’s new friendship. A similar phenomenon occurs when Nick’s friends begin teasing him and trying to pull him away from Charlie by pressuring him to talk to Tara. Nick eventually rejects their pressure and choose to be with Charlie instead.