54 pages • 1 hour read
What If It's Us
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Themes
The Role the Universe Plays in Our Lives
At the beginning of What If It’s Us, Arthur and Ben have different perspectives on the universe. Neither is particularly happy with their life, but Arthur “believe[s] in love at first sight. Fate, the universe, all of it” (8). Despite his displeasure at being away from his friends for the summer, he believes he was brought to New York for a reason. On the other hand, Ben struggles with his breakup with Hudson and isn’t sure how he will move past it. However, he begins to believe in the universe when he meets Arthur, who, while discussing the box of Hudson’s belongings at the post office, says, “Maybe the whole reason you’re here is because the universe wanted you to meet me, so I could tell you to throw the box away” (15). It quickly becomes apparent that they ended up in the post office so they could meet. Still, by the novel’s end, both boys are unsure of the universe’s intentions in bringing them together. They also learn that they have to work to maintain their relationship.
The readers spend much of Part 1 watching the two boys have near misses. Arthur is sure that Ben’s name is Hudson; Ben thinks Arthur is going to Yale the next summer rather than this one. Arthur almost posts a Missed Connection on Craigslist; Ben checks to see if he does, thinking, “It’s like Craigslist is some agent of the universe” (71). Finally, the two meet via Arthur’s poster in the coffee shop, and they believe that the universe has brought them together in a magical way. However, they quickly discover it takes more than the universe to make a relationship work. They are on their own when they finally go out on a date, and it takes several “do-overs” to find a rhythm for working together. They couldn’t solely rely on the lucky nature of their meeting and finding each other again; instead, they are forced to account not only for their respective romantic histories but also for how to communicate with one another about their hopes and fears.
When Arthur and Ben break up, it’s mainly because they were too reliant on the belief that the universe brought them together to fall in love. Both walk away, seeing the world in black and white. Arthur immediately assumes that Ben’s cheating on him, thinking, “Way to prove you were never on our side. Way to prove you don’t even exist. There’s no plan and no fate. It’s only us” (305). Ben, likewise, tells Dylan that “we all talk a big game like the universe is actually setting us up for something epic, and then everything ends” (316). Their doubt signifies their own limits on balancing fate with trust. Arthur doesn’t trust Ben to be over Hudson; likewise, Ben doesn’t trust Arthur to cope with Hudson’s presence in summer school. When they agree to step beyond that and listen to one another, they’re able to allow fate to work hand in hand with their actions.
The Epilogue also pushes one step further with Arthur and Ben. Despite having broken up for practical reasons, they are still very much in each other’s lives, and it’s clear that they both still have feelings for the other boy. The impact they’ve had on each other is evident in their willingness to wonder if they’ll ever become more than friends again, but they still believe that the universe brought them together for a reason. As a result, the authors leave the interpretation of the final line—“What if we haven’t seen the best us yet?”—open (418). In doing so, readers are each left to think about what they believe about the universe and how much it affects their lives.
Changing the Past and Knowing the Future
Each character in What If It’s Us has to contend with their past mistakes and decide whether or not they will make a change going forward, leading to the notion of do-overs as a recurrent motif in the novel. Uncertainty looms over Arthur and Ben because both of them know that Arthur is leaving New York at the end of the summer. They choose not to address it explicitly until the novel’s final pages, and they wrestle with an ideal future in which they are able to stay together. However, they also choose a realistic path, knowing that it would be difficult to maintain their relationship long distance with no end to that separation in sight. Even when Arthur starts to suggest that he could consider either New York University or Columbia, Ben replies “You can’t plan your future around me” (401).
Ben’s comment is the culmination of his search for his own identity. He wasn’t sure who he was after dating Hudson, and he was forced to face that past in two ways. First, in order to focus on his relationship with Arthur, Ben had to find closure in the end of his relationship with Hudson. Second, he also works to reforge the bonds between himself, Harriett, Hudson, and Dylan, as he also comes to recognize that “maybe it’s all about people coming into your life for a little while and you take what they give you and use it on your next friendship or relationship” (328).
This theme is explicitly apparent in Arthur’s question about whether Ben would prefer to travel to the past or the future. Happening midway through the novel, Ben first considers going to the past and choosing not to date Hudson, but when this question recurs at the end of the book, Ben more firmly says, “I’m who I am today because I dated Hudson. I’m the guy you like because I dated Hudson. Who you met because I dated him and broke up with him” (373).
Arthur, Jessie, and Ethan must also contend with this question. Arthur is “Team Future,” wanting to know if he’ll get into his dream school (235). He also brings the concept of do-overs to his friends, recognizing that mistakes may happen and reconciling them is important. Through a “do-over” with Jessie and Ethan, he is able to illustrate that he knows he made a mistake in how he reacted when they first told him they were dating and that it is possible to move on from one’s past mistakes.
Ultimately, the novel seems to argue that changing the past and knowing the future isn’t what its characters—or even its audience—should strive for, as Arthur and Ben are grateful for their past and wonder what their future holds. Instead, the “what if” that closes the book is “What if we haven’t seen the best us yet?” (418). The two protagonists have hope for the future but are content not knowing it.
The Magic of New York City
Arthur’s characterization as someone who is very easily excitable is especially clear in how he views New York City. Chapter 1 opens with “I am not a New Yorker, and I want to go home” (3), and he describes how he is constantly being called a tourist for stopping to take pictures. However, the fact that he is “not cool” makes him see the city through a different lens, presenting the metropolis as magical. This approach is especially obvious in how he thinks, “Sometimes I feel like New Yorkers do New York wrong. Where are the people swinging from subway poles and dancing on fire escapes and kissing in Times Square?” (75-76). Convinced of the magic of New York, Arthur is sure that he has spotted a celebrity when he and Ben are in the restaurant because seeing someone famous is part of what Arthur expects from New York. Arthur’s idealism breathes new life into the feeling of being “underwhelmed” that he sees in most New Yorkers while exploring the city.
Ben’s characterization of New York also signifies his perspective at the novel’s beginning. While Arthur gets his first true taste of “that New Yorker feeling” when a flash mob breaks out in the post office, Ben fully believes that “This is New York, so Post Office Arthur won’t pop up into my life again” (38). He takes a much more traditional view of his hometown, not noticing the many things that Arthur does as an outsider. Being a city resident, Ben knows New York isn’t all magic and wonder. He lives in a modest neighborhood in a too-small apartment, starkly contrasting Arthur’s temporary residence at his uncle’s spacious dwelling. Nevertheless, Ben embodies the coolness that Arthur sees in other New Yorkers. According to Arthur, “Ben is New York” (272). Despite this, Ben comes to see New York more through Arthur’s eyes, bringing him first to Times Square, albeit accidentally, and then to other quintessential New York locations, such as Central Park and Broadway. He also begins to think of Arthur’s love for New York as a key thing about him and his personality.
Ultimately, this theme of the magic of New York City is embodied in the transformation of Ben and Arthur, two boys who see its worst and its best. They emerge differently because of their time together, and much of that is tied to the setting of the novel. They each think especially of the moments they shared in the city, even as Arthur leaves it.
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