Is it possible to live a happy life despite the disabilities that torment you? Many people with mental or physical illnesses would say no. However, some recovered from their despair and found comfort in friends, family and lovers. In Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern, a girl with cerebral palsy and a boy with OCD find love and help each other cope with their disabilities. The theme of this touching novel is that despite your disability, you still manage to make friends and live a happy life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The setting, mood, and tone of Say What You Will set the stage for a somewhat tragic but beautifully uplifting book. The story achieves this in the way the narrator describes her seemingly bleak situation. The author says: “For most of her school life, Amy had felt a bit like Rapunzel, trapped in the tower that her walker created when she walked the halls. In eleven years, no one had ever called to his window or asked for his hair. No one had tried to be his friend” (McGovern 21). This means that so many people were intimidated or disgusted by its outward appearance that no one even attempted to look at what was inside. It becomes clear from the beginning that the theme of this book is much deeper than the light young adult books that are commonly read. In Say What You Will, the theme is first introduced when after years of avoidance, Amy begins to make friends. This happens as Amy's character develops and begins to open up. This long process begins when Cammie McGovern writes of the two characters spending time together: “With Matthew it seemed both easy and real. She tried to find the right word to describe him, and she finally understood: he felt like a friend” (McGovern 46). This shows the evolution of the theme as well as Amy's character as it shows how she begins to be able to open up to people. This will cause Amy to learn to open up to more and more people, making her a happier teenager. In the novel, the plot helps develop the theme as the ups and downs of Amy and Matthew's relationships made them learn more about their disabilities and how to help each other with them. Cammie McGovern wrote: “That was the real lesson he finally learned. The voice in his head was never happy, even when he slavishly followed her whims. She was never as happy as Amy was when he finally came back into the room” (McGovern 298). This quote implies that Amy helped Matthew discover how to manage and break free from his OCD. Matthew's OCD was a cage that kept him from experiencing life, and Amy opened the door for him to fly. The ending of Say What You Will helped develop the theme because it showed that even with all the mistakes they made and their disabilities, Matthew and Amy were still able to find someone who made them happy. Cammie McGovern states, “BEING FRIENDS WITH YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE I COULD DO MORE THAN I EVER REALIZED” (McGovern 342). This quote shows that even with their disabilities, Amy and Matthew were able to experience new things and meet new people because of each other. In the end, both were able to be happy and make peace with their very different, but equally problematic, disabilities. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay Every.