Symbols Funny Story Emily Henry

The Fudge Symbol in Funny Story: A Tangible Act of Love and Growth

Introduction

In Emily Henry’s Funny Story, small, everyday objects often carry outsized emotional weight. One such symbol is the box of fudge that Miles Nowak leaves for Daphne Vincent as a peace offering. At first glance, fudge seems like a cliché tourist souvenir – a sweet bought at a Michigan fudge shop. Yet the novel carefully folds this humble gift into the characters’ emotional arcs, using it to represent Miles’s love language of small, tangible acts and Daphne’s gradual journey toward accepting imperfect care. The fudge recurs at key moments, its meaning deepening from an apology to a catalyst for self-reflection and, ultimately, a token of emotional independence.

What the Fudge Literally Is and Where It First Appears

Fudge is a dense, sugary confection made from chocolate, butter, and milk – a staple of Northern Michigan tourist towns like Mackinac Island and Petoskey. In the story, it is sold at local shops, and the term “fudgie” is used by locals like Miles to describe tourists who flock to buy it (Chapter 8 evidence: “fudgies” reference). The first on-page appearance of fudge as a symbol occurs in Chapter 31 (Tuesday, August 6th). After Daphne and Ashleigh have a painful fight, Daphne returns to an eerily clean apartment. On the breakfast table sits a small white box wrapped in gold twine, with a scrawled note: “Sorry I missed you.” Inside is fudge. Daphne’s initial reaction is laughter mixed with tears: “So underwhelming as to border on absurd: Sorry I missed you, here’s some chocolate and condensed milk.” This moment carries a strong echo of Daphne’s own failed peace offering to Ashleigh (Portuguese custard tarts), highlighting her recognition of the gesture’s sincerity despite its apparent triviality.

How the Meaning of Fudge Changes Throughout the Novel

When the fudge first appears, it functions as an apology from Miles for standing Daphne up the day before. He had failed to pick her up after work, sending vague texts about a “bad day.” Later, we learn he spent the day helping Petra move furniture, which triggers Daphne’s feelings of abandonment. The fudge is his way of saying he understands he hurt her and wants to make amends – without a grand speech. It is a quiet, humble offering that contrasts sharply with the dramatic betrayals of Peter and Petra.

The fudge reappears in Chapter 34 (Friday, August 9th). Daphne, now staying at Ashleigh’s, returns to the apartment to collect supplies for the library Read-a-thon. On her dresser, she spots the same white box. She opens it to confirm it is the fudge (minus the note). She is about to throw it in the trash when she notices her father’s crumpled birthday note nearby. Instead of disposing of both, she stuffs them into her bag, thinking: “I don’t know whether I’ll eat the fudge, or read my dad’s letter, but I stuff both in the bag.” This action signals a shift. Earlier, Daphne had been in a pattern of avoidance – throwing away her father’s note without reading, pushing away potential friends, refusing to confront painful feelings. Now, she deliberately keeps the fudge, acknowledging that avoiding discomfort has not served her. The fudge transforms from a simple apology into a tangible reminder of her decision to stop running.

By the end of the novel, we do not see Daphne eat the fudge, nor does the text explicitly resolve its fate. However, the fact that she carries it with her to Ashleigh’s house – and later reflects on it in Chapter 35 (“I think about the fudge on my dresser”) – suggests it has become a transitional object: a physical anchor for her new mindset. It no longer stands for Miles’s failure to show up, but for her willingness to accept imperfect love and to hold space for hope even when outcomes are uncertain.

Character Connections: Miles, Daphne, and the Language of Gifts

Miles’s gesture is deeply characteristic. Throughout the novel, he expresses care through concrete actions rather than words: buying Daphne a chai when he misremembers her coffee order, driving her to see the beach at night, taking her to meet Barb and Lenore at the asparagus stand. He is a man who shows love by doing – fixing things, cooking, being physically present. The fudge is a quintessential Miles gift: it costs little, requires no eloquence, but clearly communicates “I was thinking of you, and I want to fix this.” In the context of his later declaration of love (which Daphne initially rejects because he “failed to show up for small moments”), the fudge becomes evidence that he does understand the importance of small gestures, even if his follow-through sometimes falters.

For Daphne, the fudge represents a lesson in accepting care that does not match her internal script. She is used to grand romantic gestures from Peter (the engagement, the dream house) that turned out to be hollow. Miles’s fudge is almost anti-romantic – a tourist box from a fudge shop – yet it is genuine. Accepting it means trusting that someone can care for her in a low-stakes, unpolished way. This connects directly to her growth arc around self-worth and identity: she learns that she deserves love that is real, even if it comes in a plain white box.

Additionally, the fudge scene mirrors Daphne’s own attempt to apologize to Ashleigh with pastéis de nata. Both women use food as a peace offering, but Ashleigh is initially cold, while Daphne ultimately accepts Miles’s fudge. This parallel underscores the theme of betrayal and rebuilding: trust is restored not through perfect apology but through the willingness to try again.

Theme Connections: Betrayal, Found Family, and Emotional Independence

The fudge symbol ties into several of the novel’s central themes.

  • Betrayal and Rebuilding: The fudge first arrives after a betrayal of trust (Miles missing their agreed-upon pickup). Rebuilding requires small, consistent acts. The fudge is one such act, and Daphne’s eventual keeping of it signals her participation in the rebuilding process.

  • Found Family and Community: In Chapter 34, Daphne consciously chooses to keep the fudge instead of discarding it, linking her decision to her broader choice to stay in Waning Bay and invest in her relationships with Ashleigh, Harvey, and the library community. The fudge, a product of local Michigan tourism, becomes a small emblem of her new home.

  • Self-Worth and Identity: Daphne’s initial urge to toss the fudge reflects her habit of rejecting anything that might hurt or disappoint. By keeping it, she affirms that she is worth the effort of an apology, and she is strong enough to hold conflicting feelings – hope and hurt – side by side.

  • Family Dysfunction and Estrangement: The fudge appears in the same scene as Daphne’s father’s note. Her choice to keep both objects (the fudge from Miles, the note from her father) demonstrates her emerging ability to confront difficult family dynamics rather than flee from them.

Study Questions on the Fudge Symbol

1. Why does Miles choose fudge rather than something more elaborate as a peace offering?

Miles’s gift reflects his personality: he shows love through small, tangible acts rather than grand gestures. Fudge is local, affordable, and unpretentious – exactly the kind of offering that requires thought but not display. When Daphne laughs at it, she recognizes that the gesture is both underwhelming and deeply sincere, which is precisely Miles’s style. His choice also contrasts with Peter’s performative gifts (the house, the engagement ring), highlighting Miles’s authenticity.

2. How does Daphne’s handling of the fudge in Chapter 34 differ from her handling of her father’s note, and what does this difference reveal about her growth?

In Chapter 31, Daphne tosses her father’s note without reading it, repeating her pattern of avoidance. In Chapter 34, she is about to throw away the fudge but stops herself, then stuffs both the note and the fudge into her bag. This reversal shows she is learning to sit with discomfort rather than flee. By keeping the fudge, she signals her readiness to accept love that may come with complications – whether from her father or from Miles.

3. In what ways does the fudge symbol relate to the theme of “found family” in the novel?

The fudge is a local Michigan product, emblematic of Waning Bay. When Daphne keeps it, she is metaphorically keeping a piece of her new community. It represents the relationships she is building with people like Miles, Ashleigh, Harvey, Barb, and Lenore – her found family. Unlike the expensive, impersonal furnishings Peter bought for their shared house, the fudge is a cheap but personal token that anchors Daphne to her new life.

4. The fudge is never actually eaten in the story. Why might Henry have chosen not to show Daphne consuming it?

By leaving the fudge unconsumed, the author keeps the symbol open-ended. The fudge is not about the pleasure of eating but about the act of receiving and keeping. Eating it would be a resolution – an end to the gesture. Instead, the box remains a potential; it holds the promise of reconciliation and growth. This mirrors Daphne’s arc: she does not instantly “consume” or resolve all her conflicts, but she learns to hold them, to carry them forward, and to let time do its work.