Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard

This is the main theme of Breaking Night, as made obvious by its presence in the subtitle of the memoir. It also represents the climax of the story in that, in order to move on with her life and to take control of those elements she can impact, Liz must accept and forgive her father and others in her life. She must forgive herself and accept her own helplessness to change those elements in her life over which she has no control. Only through this is she able to find redemption.

A second major theme in Breaking Night is addiction. It rules Jeanie’s and Peter’s lives during Liz’s childhood. Brick also suffers from addiction, though his addictive substances are alcohol and cigarettes, not coke. Carlos becomes addicted to coke and that addiction has permanent ramifications on his relationship with Liz. Liz herself is also addicted in a sense, though not to a substance. She’s addicted to caring for others, to trying to make everything right. She tries to look after her parents just like she tries to look after Sam, always putting their needs before her own even if her own are urgent and survival-based.