It’s Kind of a Funny Story Summary and Analysis: Part 2: HOW I GOT THERE (pages 47 – 123) Chapter seven starts to explain Craig’s knowledge of why he might be depressed. He really has no clue why he is, so he narrates recent parts of his life. Two years prior, Craig got accepted to Executive Pre-Professional High School – the best high school in Manhattan. It’s a prestigious school with about eight-hundred students, and a one-hundred percent paid for tuition upon acceptance. He bought a study book for the acceptance exam, and finished all the practice exams, so he ordered twelve more study books. He made flashcards, and on the acceptance exam, got an 800/800. However, Craig was so immersed in his studying, that he pushed away all his friends. Aaron reached out to Craig since he was taking the same exam, and they became friends. Chapter eight Aaron sets up for a party at his house. Craig sneaks alcohol to Aaron’s apartment (whose parents are gone), and Aaron gives Craig his first try of pot. Nia, a half-Chinese girl, comes over with a bunch of other girls, and both Aaron and Craig are very attracted to her. Everyone is flirtatious. Chapter nine, Aaron and Nia make out a lot, and Craig is jealous, so he just smokes a lot of pot. Chapter ten is the late hours after the party had pretty much ended. Aaron and Nia ended up sleeping together, which makes Craig feel out of place. Aaron and Craig take a walk toward Craig’s house. On the way, they have to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Craig gets the urge to walk out over the water, on one of the pathways used by the bridge workers. So he does: “And I could have died right then. And considering how things went, I really should have.” (Vizzini, 89). Chapter eleven really shows Craig’s first signs of something being wrong. He was jealous of Nia and Aaron: “I thought I was cool with it, but as I saw them… I started to get more and more pissed off. Like they were throwing it in my face” (Vizzini, 91). His first day at Executive Pre-Professional High School, Craig got a 70 on a test, while Aaron got a 100. Craig was distraught over this. His classes were hard, his teachers were tough, and the homework was overwhelming. Craig felt like everyone was better than him, because their grades were always 100s, and he was always stuck at a 93 (which he considers average). This all triggered his first stress- It’s Kind of a Funny Story vomiting, at a fancy Christmas dinner with his parents. Craig says afterwards: “I think I might be, y’know, depressed.” (Vizzini, 99). Chapter twelve, Craig meets Dr. Barney, a psychopharmacologist. Dr. Barney listens to Craig talk about all of his depression symptoms, including suicidal thoughts, and prescribes Zoloft, and also suggests that Craig see a therapist. Chapter thirteen starts out with Craig on his Zoloft, taking it every day, and having a placebo effect. He starts feeling more hopeful, spends time with his little sister, and starts to eat healthily again. But then his life went in ‘phases’ - being great and functional for a few weeks, then being really depressed. Nia comes out to Craig that she also takes Prozac, and the two call each other when they’re feeling down. Craig starts feeling a lot better, meets Dr. Minerva, and decides to not refill his Zoloft prescription (without telling anyone). He foreshadows that two months later, he is back to stress vomiting. Analysis It’s crazy to see how Craig thinks. He’s a great student, very smart, and has a supportive family, but still feels he isn’t good enough. It’s also weird that such a smart kid would stop taking prescription medication cold turkey, since that is one of the worst things he could have done at that point. I think that as much as Nia thought she could relate to Craig through their therapists and medication, that she doesn’t understand exactly what Craig is going through, or how he is extremely depressed.