Punk 57

The written word has a significant presence in the novel, from the letters between Misha and Ryen to the journal scrawlings, wall writings, and graffiti messages left wherever they go. Most significantly, Ryen and Misha’s letters function as a symbol of the love they hold for one another, and their recurrence operates as a motif for the theme of The Importance of Maintaining Close Relationships.

Ryen and Misha have built a deep, intimate relationship with one another through their seven years as pen pals. Both characters cherish their letters from one another, with Ryen keeping all Misha’s letters under her bed, and Misha taking his favorite letters with him wherever he goes, calling them—and Ryen—his muse. However, when Misha’s side of the correspondence grows cold, Ryen is left feeling like he’s abandoned or deprioritized her. Ryen’s concerns that a lack of letters from Misha means the end of their friendship solidifies the letters as a symbol of the strength of their relationship and develops the idea that it’s important to maintain close relationships.

In Chapter 15, after Ryen finds out that Misha has betrayed her by posing as Masen, she leaves a collection of Misha’s letters on the floor of his room as a message that she wants nothing to do with him anymore.