Chapter 20 Analysis: The Tom Hanks Reference and Its Deeper Meaning

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with Riley pulling Julia into the Pleasant Hills women's bathroom immediately after walking out of the sermon. The room is dominated by a disturbing painting of Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, in which a sobbing Eve clutches a half-eaten apple while a God who resembles Tom Hanks throws her out. Riley reflects that the painting is a chilling reminder of what happens to women who disobey.

Amanda, Greer, Delaney, and Torres pile into the small bathroom behind them, each visibly shaken. Torres breaks the tension with a swear, and Julia's laughter turns almost hysterical. Julia insists everyone should go back inside, but the group refuses. Ben arrives at the door, reporting that Pastor Young is still preaching and pretending the walkout was part of his lesson. Ben suggests they leave before the service ends, and Riley says Hannah or her mother can pick them up.

Ben comforts Julia, whispering something to her, then clears the room so Riley and Julia can talk alone. Julia, in a practiced, matter-of-fact tone, tells Riley she's gay—specifically, a lesbian. Riley reacts with surprise and then anger at Julia's father for forcing this moment. Riley shares that her own mother once told her she doesn't owe anyone a piece of herself, and that it's okay to keep things private.

Julia admits she was horrible to Riley after their kiss at church camp, explaining that admitting her father hurt her too felt like writing the word lesbian across her forehead. She confesses she wrote about Riley in her journal—the entries Pastor Young read aloud—and apologizes for Riley having to hear them that way. Riley apologizes for comparing Julia to her father. They discuss their year of estrangement, and Julia mentions that Mike Fratt was arrested for tax evasion, a small moment of levity.

Riley offers to give Julia space if she needs it, but Julia refuses, lacing her fingers through Riley's and kissing her. The kiss feels like a beginning, and Riley reflects that kissing in a church bathroom makes her feel powerful—like if she can do this without bursting into flames, she can break other rules too. Julia says she didn't know a kiss could feel like that. When Riley asks if she's ready to go, Julia glances at the painting, the stalls, and her own reflection, then says she's been ready for a while. They leave the church together, hand in hand.

Key Events

Riley and Julia retreat to the women's bathroom, where the Eve painting looms over them.
Amanda, Greer, Delaney, and Torres follow them, refusing to return to the service.
Ben reports that Pastor Young is spinning the walkout as part of his sermon and suggests they leave early.
Ben comforts Julia and clears the room, leaving Riley and Julia alone.
Julia comes out to Riley as a lesbian.
Julia reveals she wrote about Riley in her journal and apologizes for the year of silence.
Riley apologizes for comparing Julia to her father.
Julia kisses Riley—their first intentional kiss.
The two leave Pleasant Hills Baptist Church together.

Character Development

Riley shows growth in her willingness to listen rather than assume. She admits she wanted to tell Julia everything but held back out of fairness, and she apologizes for the comparison she made between Julia and her father. Her reflection on the kiss—that it makes her feel powerful and capable of breaking other rules—signals a shift from fear to defiance.

Julia moves from broken and defensive to vulnerable and self-possessed. She comes out on her own terms, in her own words, even though the moment was forced by her father's public reading of her journal. Her explanation for pushing Riley away—that acknowledging her father's harm felt like a public admission of her identity—shows the impossible position she was in. Her decision to kiss Riley and to say she's been ready for a while marks a decisive step toward owning her life.

Ben acts as a steadying presence, comforting Julia and clearing the room so the two can talk. His quiet support contrasts with the pastor's public humiliation of his sister.

The supporting group (Amanda, Greer, Delaney, Torres) demonstrates solidarity by refusing to return to the service, choosing each other over the congregation's expectations.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Religious control over women: The Eve painting is the chapter's central symbol—a graphic depiction of a woman punished for disobedience. Riley notes it's there as a reminder of what happens to women who break the rules. The bathroom, a space where women gather away from male authority, becomes a site of resistance.

Public outing and violation of privacy: Pastor Young's reading of Julia's journal is the catalyst for everything in this chapter. Julia's coming out is not chosen—it's forced—yet she reclaims it by speaking the words herself.

Reconciliation and solidarity: The chapter is built around repair: Riley and Julia's friendship, Julia's relationship with her brother, and the group's refusal to abandon each other.

Personal autonomy: Julia's final line—that she's been ready for a while—suggests her readiness extends beyond leaving the bathroom. The kiss in the church is an act of self-determination, a choice made in a space designed to deny her that choice.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the emotional climax of the novel's central relationship. The year-long estrangement between Riley and Julia is resolved not through grand gestures but through honest conversation and apology. Julia's coming out, though forced by her father's cruelty, becomes an act of self-possession. The kiss in the church bathroom transforms a space of shame into one of power, and Riley's reflection on breaking rules signals her growing determination to live on her own terms. The chapter also sets up the aftermath: Julia's father doesn't yet know the journal was hers, and the question of what happens next—at home, at school, in the congregation—looms over their exit.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Riley describe the Eve painting as a reminder of what happens to women who disobey?

The painting depicts Eve being violently expelled from Eden for eating the apple, with God's nails digging into her arm. Riley reads it as a deliberate warning to the women of the congregation: step out of line and you will be cast out. The painting's placement in the women's bathroom makes the threat intimate and inescapable.

2. What does Julia mean when she says admitting her father hurt her felt like writing the word lesbian across her forehead?

Julia explains that Riley's anger at her father was justified, but if Julia acknowledged that her father's homophobia hurt her too, it would be an admission that the topic applied to her personally. In a community where being gay is treated as a public scandal, any acknowledgment of pain would have been read as a confession of identity.

3. Why does Riley feel powerful kissing Julia in the church bathroom?

Riley reflects that kissing in a church—a space that condemns her identity—without any consequence makes her wonder how many other rules she could break. The kiss becomes proof that the church's authority over her is not absolute, and that she can make choices for herself.

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