At most or all of the key transformative moments in the book, Casey Gerald is struck by a seemingly mysterious and overwhelming need to cry. This is most apparent toward the end of the book, in Chapter 21. Gerald cries when he experiences figurative death toward rebirth, which includes relatively minor transitions such as the last time he is with Red in Chapter 7. Notably, he does not cry in anger or frustration, such as when he experiences the inherent classist and racist thinking of another American in Berlin, about which Gerald says, “short of crying, I vented for a good while” (328).

Gerald’s connection to his family and larger community—first through his church and neighborhood, then through Yale and its alumni network—plays an important role throughout the book. This connection sometimes leads to disappointment, as with the opening scene before Y2K and with the disappearance of Gerald’s mother, but at other times Gerald’s community is supportive, such as when his family drives him to Yale or when other Yale alums resolve his conflict regarding his last football game. Despite this, Gerald essentially defines himself by his relationship with the family and community structures around him.