The Many Meanings of Lake Michigan & Huron in Funny Story
Introduction
In Emily Henry’s Funny Story, the vast bodies of water that surround Waning Bay—Lake Michigan and its connected inland lakes—are far more than a scenic backdrop. From the first chaotic weeks after Daphne’s betrayal to her final sense of belonging, the lakes appear repeatedly as a sanctuary where characters shed old identities and forge new connections. The water represents escape from pain, a setting for vulnerable intimacy, and ultimately the possibility of building a new home. Below, we trace how the lake’s meaning shifts across the novel and how it ties to character growth and central themes.
What Are the Lakes, and Where Do They Appear?
Lake Michigan is the Great Lake that borders western Michigan, and Lake Huron lies to the northeast. In Funny Story, the characters primarily interact with Lake Michigan’s shoreline and smaller inland lakes that feed into the system. The narrative makes clear that Daphne, new to the area, initially only knows the touristy public beaches—the ones with “food trucks and ice cream pavilions” that Miles dismisses as full of “fudgies” (out-of-towners). Miles, by contrast, introduces her to the “good” spots: a secret beach accessible only by a hike through the woods, and a pontoon trip to a secluded smaller lake.
Key recurrences include:
- Kayak trip on Lake Michigan (Chapter 14): Daphne and Miles paddle around an island at dawn. They tip each other into the water, sharing an intimate, playful moment.
- Pontoon boating on an inland lake (Chapter 25): Miles takes Daphne, her father, Julia, and Starfire on a friend’s boat. Starfire calls jumping into the water “rebirth.”
- Secret beach (Chapter 9 and 27): Miles drives Daphne to a moonlit beach after the Cherry Hill diner, and later takes her to his favorite private cove when she’s hurting.
- The housewarming (Chapter 38): The novel ends in an orange cottage near the water, with the couple having created a life anchored in the lakeside community.
How the Meaning of the Lakes Changes
From Escape to Intimacy
Early in the novel, the lake is primarily an escape route. Daphne flees her failed engagement and takes refuge in Miles’s apartment, but the true escape happens physically when they drive to a beach. When she asks Miles to take her “somewhere I’ve never been,” he brings her to his favorite cove—a place where “no one else” exists. This marks a shift: the lake becomes the setting where Daphne can briefly stop thinking about Peter or her father.
As the novel progresses, the water becomes a space for deepening intimacy. In the kayak scene, Miles tips Daphne into the lake, then she tips him in, and they tread water together, touching and laughing. The lake allows a physical closeness that words can’t yet express. When Miles later carries Daphne into the water at the secret beach, he says “Never” in response to her plea not to drop her—a promise of safety that the lake’s buoyant, enclosing presence reinforces.
From Strangeness to Home
Initially, Daphne feels like a tourist. She doesn’t know the local term “fudgie,” and she has only seen the crowded beaches. Miles slowly initiates her into the hidden, meaningful places. By the time she chooses to stay in Waning Bay, the lakes have become part of her daily life. The novel’s final chapter places her and Miles in a fixer-upper cottage, their housewarming party full of friends who have become family. The lake no longer represents a temporary escape but the permanent home she has built.
Character and Theme Connections
Daphne Vincent
Daphne’s arc is one of reclaiming her agency after being left for someone else. The lake scenes directly mirror her emotional growth. In the early kayak trip, she is physically weak and apologetic for slowing Miles down, still operating under the expectation that she must earn her place (a pattern learned with Peter). By the secret beach scene in Chapter 27, she initiates the swim, undressing and running into the water without hesitation. She no longer needs permission to be there. The lake becomes the place where she voices her love for Miles and, crucially, declares that she is staying in Waning Bay for herself—not for him.
Miles Nowak
Miles uses the lake as a way to connect with others without the pressure of conversation. He is most at ease on the water, referring to it as “what I imagine church is for some people.” His quiet reverence for the landscape—showing Daphne his favorite beach, pointing out fossilized coral—reflects his patient, observant nature. For Miles, the lake is also a site of healing; he brings Daphne there when she is raw, offering a safe space rather than empty comfort.
Julia and Starfire
Julia, Miles’s sister, and Starfire, Daphne’s father’s girlfriend, both find joy on the water. Julia’s presence on the pontoon helps Daphne see a different kind of family dynamic. Starfire’s exclamation that the water “feels like rebirth” is echoed in the way the lake allows everyone to shed their usual roles. The scene underscores the theme of found family: the lake is where Daphne’s makeshift community—Miles, his sister, her father—coheres into something genuine.
Betrayal and Rebuilding
The lakes are directly linked to the betrayal that starts the story. Lake Michigan is where Peter grew up, where he and Petra fell in love, and where Daphne was left stranded. But the novel reclaims the same geography for Daphne’s rebuilding. Where Peter’s lake represented exclusion (the “fudgie” label, the Collins family’s summer home), Daphne’s lake becomes inclusive. She ends the novel not as a guest but as a resident who knows the secret beaches.
Self-Worth and Identity
Daphne’s lake experiences teach her that she does not need to perform competence or earn love. When she fails at kayaking, Miles does not grow impatient. When she asks to be taken somewhere new, he obliges without question. The water levels the playing field: in the lake, they are both just bodies floating. This physical vulnerability mirrors the emotional openness required for Daphne to accept that she is worthy of a love that doesn’t require her to be perfect.
Study Questions
1. How does the lake function differently for Daphne in the early chapters versus the later chapters? Provide specific evidence.
- Answer: In early chapters (e.g., the kayak trip, Chapter 14), the lake is a source of anxiety for Daphne. She worries about holding Miles back and compares herself to Peter, who made her feel inadequate outdoors. By the secret beach scene in Chapter 27, Daphne not only initiates going into the water but also experiences “complete safety” while Miles carries her. The shift demonstrates her growing trust in Miles and in herself. She moves from seeing the lake as a test of her worth to seeing it as a sanctuary.
2. What does the term “fudgie” reveal about social belonging in the novel?
- Answer: Miles explains that a “fudgie” is an out-of-towner who visits northern Michigan only in summer. Daphne initially is a fudgie—she doesn't know the local spots or the slang. By the end, she has learned Miles’s secret beaches and has chosen to live in Waning Bay year-round. The term highlights the theme of found family: belonging is not about birthplace but about who initiates you into the hidden, meaningful places.
3. In the pontoon scene (Chapter 25), Starfire says the water “feels like rebirth.” How does this moment connect to broader themes of second chances?
- Answer: Starfire’s line comes soon after Daphne’s father has arrived, stirring up old hurts about his abandonment. Jumping into the lake acts as a symbolic washing away of the past. For Daphne, the lake becomes a place where family rifts can be reset (she begins to accept her father’s flaws) and where a new relationship with Miles can flourish. The “rebirth” echo carries into the final chapter, where Daphne and Miles host a housewarming in their new home—a literal new beginning.
4. Why does Miles hesitate to show Daphne his favorite beach? What does that reveal about his character?
- Answer: Miles jokes that he can’t “open the floodgates” because he doesn’t want a “wheatgrass-loving asshole” to discover it later. On a deeper level, the secret beach is deeply personal to him—it’s where he goes to feel connected to something larger. Sharing it with Daphne symbolizes his growing trust and vulnerability. He only brings her there after she has proven she won’t exploit the space, reflecting his cautious but generous nature. The beach becomes a metaphor for the parts of himself he never showed Petra.