Eleven

Content Warning: The source material uses an ethnic and religious slur against Muslim people. This guide references such language in direct quotes only.

“He was trailing smoke and leaking fuel. He checked his gauges. If he tucked his tail and ran away, he’d have just enough juice to make it back to base.

Or he could make the ultimate sacrifice and do what had to be done.”

Alex plays a flight simulation video game. After being hit by enemy fire, Alex must decide between returning to base or staying to heroically save the day. By labeling one option as “the ultimate sacrifice,” he indicates that the heroic thing to do is to stay and fight. This definition of a hero will later be made more nuanced by ordinary people helping others after the attack.

“His mom and dad were always telling him he needed to grow up. It was one of the things he definitely agreed with them about. Because if growing up meant getting better at hiding your feelings so you don’t get in trouble, then he was all for it. He wondered if he’d be better at it once he turned eleven.”

Despite this passage being about “growing up,” Alex reveals his immaturity. He is so focused on hiding his feelings from his mother that he thinks this is a sign of maturity. Furthermore, he naïvely believes that on his birthday, he will suddenly change and be able to master his emotions and thus be deemed a grown-up.

“Deep down, he knew what was really bugging him and why he was in such an up-and-down mood. His mother was right: it was his own fault he wasn’t getting a dog. They’d made a straightforward deal, just like the ones he made with the universe: improve your grades, and you can have a dog. But he’d dropped the ball, and now he had nobody to blame but himself.”

Alex understands that he alone is to blame if he does not get a dog because he failed to keep his grades up. This moment highlights that although Alex is immature and naïve at times, he does understand what his parents mean about responsibility. However, the understanding is buried “deep down” within him, so later he believes, beyond reason, that he still might get a dog.