Fudge-a-Mania

“You won’t even be able to see her house. There’ll probably be a forest separating us.”

Peter falsely assures Jimmy that they won’t have to be anywhere near Sheila during the vacation. It is one of the first moments in the story where Peter’s tendency to avoid problems comes into focus. He has no idea what the living situation will be like, and this false assurance comes back to him when he stresses about how to break the news to Jimmy about living in the same house as Sheila.

“Hey, Peter…no offense…but a week with your family can feel like a long time.”

Jimmy’s comment about Peter’s family foreshadows the way that Navigating Chaotic Family Life becomes a key component of the vacation in Maine. A total of three families, all with different values, makeups, and approaches to life, end up living under one roof and learn to understand and appreciate each other in the process. This includes Jimmy, whom Peter notes does not have siblings and whose parents are divorced. Despite finding the Hatchers chaotic, Jimmy’s skepticism fades the more time he spends with them.

“Mom kept right on reading. I don’t know why she thinks Fudge pays any attention to her lectures on history. He hears only what he wants to hear. Everything else goes right by him.”

Peter’s observations of his brother often point to Fudge’s flaws, although these flaws are usually just due to Fudge’s much younger age. Peter sometimes lacks understanding for his younger brother, including in this scene; Fudge, in fact, regularly repeats things his family members say, much like