Flying Solo

“That was on October 28. Next morning her best friend Missy phoned to tell her the news. Tommy Feathers was dead.”

Rachel stops speaking after this moment when Missy tells her that Tommy died. She remembers that terrible morning in unusual detail, suggesting its heavy impact on her. The date October 28 is also important; the narrative begins on the six-month anniversary of Tommy’s death. The plot is, on a crucial level, the class’s journey to process Tommy’s death.

“She tried to say it—Tommy Feathers is dead—she reached down inside herself to find those words, but they were cold when she touched them. Frozen. She knew those words could never fly.”

This quote shows how Rachel feels about her speaking ability after learning about Tommy’s death. In the novel, flying symbolizes independence, and after Tommy’s death, Rachel feels like she can never truly be free again. Her ability to feel independent, free, and confident is “[f]rozen.”

“Without the law there would be total anarchy.”

Jessica’s father, a lawyer, talks about the importance of following the law. This foreshadows what could happen to the class when they start to rule themselves: They break the rules by not having a teacher, and one belief is that no rules will turn into chaos. Nevertheless, the class demonstrates self-government, and “total anarchy” never arises.