Two Boys Kissing

Harry agrees to help Craig break the world record because he knows that it’s important to Craig. Harry is openly gay, and his parents are affirming, even supporting the Big Kiss. Harry therefore lacks the same motivations for the Kiss that Craig has; Craig’s history of agonizing secrecy is a large part of what fuel’s his sense of urgency. It is also part of what informs Craig’s deep empathy for Tariq; if Craig hadn’t connected with Tariq over a shared suffering, the kissing project would never have crossed his mind. Harry’s good fortune of having loving parents hinders some of that same altruistic zeal.

Harry lacks another of Craig’s motivations: to re-enter their romantic relationship. Harry is the one who decided that he and Craig should no longer be a couple; he suggested that they work better as friends. While Harry tells Craig that he loves him, the meaning of “love” remains ambiguous. The utterance, with its varied potential meaning, emphasizes the novel’s focus on love’s variety and dynamism. Just as, for Craig, the Kiss symbolizes passion, acceptance, and transformation, for Harry it symbolizes friendship and commitment; the Kiss wasn’t even Harry’s idea, and he only agrees to it for Craig’s sake—yet he eventually willingly undergoes prolonged physical anguish to ensure the project’s completion.

During the 32-hour kiss, Harry experiences far greater physical toll than does Craig. He is even pelted with eggs by strangers who object to orientations different than theirs. Harry’s physical dependence on Craig is an inversion of their prior relationship, in which Craig was overwhelmingly emotionally dependent on Harry. Levithan uses Harry’s struggle during the kiss as a metaphor for the struggles of queer people, especially those who died during the AIDS epidemic; just as Harry experiences pain and his body gives way to near unconsciousness, the AIDS victims suffered as their bodies succumbed to death. 

Tariq’s character is a figure of redemption. A Black gay student at Craig’s and Harry’s school, he is the inspiration for their record-breaking kiss after he survived a hate crime where strangers brutalized him, leaving him hospitalized. However, his trauma eventually leads not only to new friends, but to a project in queer visibility that reaches across the globe; his suffering is the catalyst for the entire plot and is a source of transformation. Tariq is also the one who records the Big Kiss and engineers the livestream. He is thus the conduit between the Big Kiss and the world and is symbolically a vessel of healing.

Tariq’s sensitive nature appears in many ways; he is a gifted dancer, he curates a music playlist for the kiss, and he recites Whitman’s poetry. Tariq puts up a brave front for the outside world, although he still struggles with fear, following his assault. When unseen assailants yell slurs and throw things at Craig and Harry, Tariq feels the same fear that he felt during the attack. Once more, the character’s suffering becomes a virtue, as his fear manifests as a need to protect and care for others. When Craig’s family rejects him by not returning to the high school to watch him break the world record, Tariq runs to Craig’s house and bangs on the door, pleading with Craig’s family to come and support him. He feels the rejection just as deeply as Craig does. Just as Craig felt Tariq’s pain after the assault, so Tariq feels Craig’s pain when his family rejects him.

Avery is both gay and transgender, but he has an affirming family who were supportive about his transition from such a young age that he didn’t even realize being transgender was atypical until he got older. Despite growing up with an affirming family, however, Avery is aware that he navigates a world that is disproportionately hostile to him; he worries that Ryan will reject him once he learns Avery’s history. Avery is the only transgender character in the book. Avery represents the gender diversity within a queer population still frequently intolerant of transgender people. Avery knows that Ryan’s sexual orientation as a gay male is no guarantee of acceptance.

Avery also represents how affirming parents can raise healthy, well-adjusted queer kids who are confident in their identity. Although Avery sometimes struggles with his body image and worries that others will realize that he’s transgender and react poorly, he also grew up confident in his gender identity and has never had to question it. He knows that his pink hair is as masculine as he chooses it to be. All of the problems relating to his gender identity come from the outside world. When he needs to use the bathroom in a fast-food restaurant, for instance, he worries that someone will be angry about him using the men’s room.

Ryan is bold enough to sport blue hair and help organize the gay prom in his town, but he isn’t completely open about his sexual orientation, and his parents don’t know. While his parents aren’t supportive, he has a young, cool aunt named Caitlin who knew that he was gay from a young age, and he can confide in her. Aunt Caitlin exemplifies “found family.” Her house feels more like home, to Ryan, because he can be himself there.

Ryan likes showing Avery things that he thinks will bring Avery joy and wonder. He brings Avery to Caitlin’s house, where they go rowing on the river behind her house. He also brings Avery to an abandoned miniature golf course that he used to enjoy when he was younger. He isn’t happy in Kindling and feels no attachment to the town; however, bringing Avery to his only few special places in Kindling is Ryan’s way of inviting Avery into his life.

However, when Ryan is confronted and attacked by bullies at the mini-golf course, he becomes consumed by rage and nearly ruins their date. Ryan faces a crossroads: he can choose resentment and anger, or he can choose happiness with Avery. This choice symbolizes the struggle that queer people face when confronted with a world that can be uncomfortably cruel. 

Even though Neil’s parents and sister know about his relationship with Peter, they feign ignorance, treating Neil as if he and Peter are just friends. He and his parents have an unspoken agreement not to mention his sexual orientation. Such an “agreement” is a lesser acknowledged but common experience for queer people: Neil is closeted—not because he chooses to be, but because his family prescribe it, forcing him into the closet.

His parents’ denial of his identity deeply impacts him and eats away at his relationships. He has dated Peter for over a year, but despite their solid relationship history, they both still worry about their relationship. Neil is insecure and struggles to believe that Peter would stay with him, and he feels further alienated from Peter because Peter’s parents are accepting; Peter likely can’t understand the depth of Neil’s pain. They have many things in common, but Neil worries that their differences will be enough to break them up. Their connection, however, has an ease that Neil isn’t ready to give up; they know how to make each other happy, even with small gestures like apologies spelled out with the titles of books they find in a bookstore. 

Neil’s boyfriend, Peter, is openly gay, and his parents are supportive of his orientation and relationships. As a result, he has better self-esteem than Neil does, and while this makes Peter a healthy source of emotional stability for Neil, it also sometimes makes it hard for Peter to understand him. The central conflict in their relationship, throughout the novel’s events, involves Peter’s anxious unawareness of Neil’s inner life. He can tell that Neil is upset—and is open to listening to him—but Neil says nothing, believing Peter won’t understand.

Despite the friction, the two find comfort in one another. They are comfortable enough with one another to stay in playing video games or sing silly songs about pancakes. It isn’t a passionate love, but it is love, nonetheless.