The Summer of Broken Rules

In this section, the narrative arc reaches its climax, and everything that Meredith has undergone during the week comes to a head in this one last night with Wit. With the resolution of her grief for Claire and her realization of the true worth of her new relationship with Wit, Meredith’s character development is almost complete. The first major event of the section can be found in the much-anticipated Assassin Showdown: the final contest between all assassins still standing. Within the context of the story, there is no reason for Wit to need Meredith’s assistance to win, for he has demonstrated throughout the story that he is more than capable of handling the challenges that face him. Clearly, he could have outwitted Uncle Brad to win the game on his own. However, this moment is about more than just Wit’s victory, for by allowing Meredith to assist, Wit gives her another opportunity to “win” Assassin for Claire and find the closure she needs. The final strategy of the spare squirt gun is a tactic worthy of Claire, and the sun shining down on Wit and Meredith symbolizes not just Claire’s approval of the strategy, but also the realization that Meredith is ready to move forward with life. In this scene, she fully embraces and embodies the theme Learning to Be Your Own Person, because now she does not need to emulate or replace Claire to feel worthy of belonging with her family. Finally, she can finally just be Meredith.

To further emphasize the closing of old chapters and the beginning of new ones, it is doubly significant that Wit is the one to rid Claire of the last reminder of Ben by removing the errant placeholder stone at the wedding reception. Thus, the last vestiges of Ben are erased from Meredith’s life just as Wit claims a more permanent place within it. This action also highlights the fact that Ben and Wit are foils for one another, for while Ben represents everything that Meredith thought she wanted, Wit is everything that Meredith truly needs. In the context of Meredith’s life, this shift also bestows on Meredith a new self-confidence that she previously had not expressed. Having grown far beyond the superficial version of herself that she presented to the world via Instagram, Meredith now has the confidence to be herself, and thus Wit falls in love with the real Meredith. Wit’s ability to see beyond the false version of Meredith and appreciate her for who she truly is serves to resolve the plot’s larger ongoing theme of Learning to Be Your Own Person.