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Margo says to Quentin at the very end that her she brought Quentin with her on the revenge ride because she wanted to make him more like the Quentin in her 4th grade mystery story. She wanted to make him brave and to liberate him. Did Margo succeed? What was the overall result?

I don't know that she made Q braver and freer. She definitely made him a little crazy. But to me, it seems that she just caused Q to move from being trapped in one way to being trapped in her web. He got so caught up in her that he ignored all the other things in his life--friends, prom, graduation, parents. I think I was really annoyed at how selfish Margo was in the end. However, I did like the mystery and the trying to figure things out. But to answer your question, I think Margo thinks she succeeded, but as the reader, I don't think she succeeded.

Yes, she did. In the first chapter, we meet a Quentin who's too afraid to take chances. But Margo finally convinces him to go on the ride with him; the Quentin he becomes after Margo's night of havoc is more of a doer. She gets him to ignore his graduation ceremony so he can take a road trip to find her.

I honestly think Margo did nothing but take advantage of him. Sure, she did make Quentin become a more free-spirited, careless person, but she got him so caught up in her that she caused him to chase her half-way across the states. He risked so many things for her, only to find out that it wasn't even worth it. She made him believe she cared for him, when in reality, I believe she just wanted attention. I didn't really like Margo, I'm sorry. XD

amybo82 wrote:I don't know that she made Q braver and freer. She definitely made him a little crazy. But to me, it seems that she just caused Q to move from being trapped in one way to being trapped in her web. He got so caught up in her that he ignored all the other things in his life--friends, prom, graduation, parents. I think I was really annoyed at how selfish Margo was in the end. However, I did like the mystery and the trying to figure things out. But to answer your question, I think Margo thinks she succeeded, but as the reader, I don't think she succeeded.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.

I think Margo did succeed in making Q braver and liberating him. Q at the end of the book was completely different from the beginning. In the beginning of the book, Q was all about following the rules, doing what he was expected to do and never making waves. By the end he was the exact opposite. He was breaking rules and having incredible life experiences. While he didn't want the life Margo did, he was open to a whole new world. I hate giving Margo the credit for that. I found her to be a very selfish person, who thought about nobody but herself.

Yes, I think Margo succeeded because Quentin ended up exploring and doing things he never would have done if she had stayed the remainder of the school year. I think he learned some things about himself as well. He was brave (left graduation without walking across the stage just mere minutes after receiving a car as a graduation gift from his parents). He also left without a real plan.

The best part is that they both figured out they were in love with each other, but their love for each other allowed them to let them be exactly who they were!

In a way, yes. Margo brought Q out of his comfort zone and got him to do things he didn't think he would ever do. I think that Margo knows that Q has it in him otherwise she wouldn't bring him along her night of seeking revenge. If she hadn't shown up on his window, he would've missed out on an adventure - filled night with the girl of his dreams, get revenge on Chuck and get a blackmail material out of Jase. She succeeded because in the end, Q has managed to defy the norm on his own when he decided to skip his graduation ceremony and search for Margo instead.

Ashley3255 wrote:I honestly think Margo did nothing but take advantage of him. Sure, she did make Quentin become a more free-spirited, careless person, but she got him so caught up in her that she caused him to chase her half-way across the states. He risked so many things for her, only to find out that it wasn't even worth it. She made him believe she cared for him, when in reality, I believe she just wanted attention. I didn't really like Margo, I'm sorry. XD

Ditto! I agree and feel the same.

I never once got he impression that he was free throughout this entire book. Instead, I thought that he was completely caught up in the Margo mystery and ended up not being able to enjoy the things that he had originally wanted to. Like the end of his final school year. He was also caught up in her that he pretty much forgets about his best friends and what is going on in their lives. It felt like her intention was to steal all of his attention and make him do exactly what she wanted him to instead of what he himself wanted to do.

I guess in a way she did make him a little bit braver. The Quentin in the first chapter would have never went on that ride with her or went searching for her. On the other hand, he kept searching for her as a way to hold on to her. I think it took more bravery to let her go. He was just caught in a web, and needed to be released from it.

[quote="csimmons032"]I guess in a way she did make him a little bit braver. The Quentin in the first chapter would have never went on that ride with her or went searching for her. On the other hand, he kept searching for her as a way to hold on to her. I think it took more bravery to let her go. He was just caught in a web, and needed to be released from it.[/quote]
I absolutely think she succeeded. After that night he definitely stepped out of his comfort zone and did things he never would have thought possible. And I love what csimmons032 said about taking more bravery to let her go. That's really poetic and beautiful.

I think she made him step out of his comfort zone and take risks. He was a different person at the end of the book. However, I feel like Margo was using him for her selfish games and kept him trapped in her web of mystery throughout the story.

I think Margo defiantly succeeded. At first he was still very timid, but as the story advanced he took more and more risks and adventures to find her. He skipped graduation, he lied to his parents, and he even laid in that creepy abandoned building for a night!

I think Margo succeeded but I don't think it was something to be proud of. Q became someone he wasn't in his blind search for Margo, and I think Margo saw all this as a game that was fun to play, rather than something that affected Q deeply.