36 pages • 1 hour read
Henry And Beezus
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Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
The Bike
In Henry and Beezus, Henry’s dream bike is a symbol for independence and mobility. As such, it helps Henry transition from being a young child to a more independent pre-teen. One of Henry’s reasons for wanting a bike is so that he can ride it in the Rose Festival Parade, which would distinguish him as being older and more competent than the other kids.
In the story, Scooter is the only character with his own bike, which cements his status as the cool older boy who has more skills, knowledge, and responsibilities than the younger children. He is a skilled cyclist and very knowledgeable about bikes in general. He also uses his bike for his paper route, which further associates bike ownership with being independent and grown up. As Scooter tells Henry, he can do the route as his substitute “if [Scooter doesn’t] think it’s too hard work for a kid without a bike” (53).
When Henry finally buys his bike at the end of the story, he is able to ride home by himself rather than getting a ride from his dad: “‘So long, Dad. See you at home.’ He threw his leg over the bike and rode off without wobbling once” (100). This happy ending shows that Henry’s bike is already providing him with newfound independence and helping him grow up.
The Auction
In the story, the police station’s bike auction symbolizes competition and the world of adults. Henry has to navigate the auction without adult help and use his own savings to compete with a huge crowd and buy a bike.
Henry finds the auction challenging due to its chaotic atmosphere and intense competition: “Henry, Ribsy and the two girls struggled into the mob on the driveway. Sometimes they moved ahead a foot, sometimes an inch, but most of the time they stood still. It seemed to Henry that a lot of awfully big people stepped on his toes. The children could barely hear the auctioneer above the noise of the crowd” (65). Henry is intimidated by some of the bigger kids, but he holds his ground and tries to participate with some bids.
Henry has little money to spend on a bike but gamely bids as much as he can. He is astute enough to figure out that communication is key and tries to get the auctioneer’s attention: “Henry saw that, with so many people shouting and waving their hands and the auctioneer trying to sell the bicycles as fast as he could, it was more important for a boy to make himself heard above the crowd than to have a lot of money to spend” (69). By being independent and resourceful, Henry is able to cope with the competition and chaos of the auction and get a bike, even if it is not exactly the bike of his dreams.
Ribsy
Henry’s dog, Ribsy, is always getting into mischief and accidentally disrupting Henry’s plans. By acting as an agent of chaos, Ribsy’s mishaps form a motif for the story’s theme on The Power of Creative Problem- Solving, as Henry is constantly trying to solve the problems that Ribsy creates for him.
For instance, when Henry tries to do the newspaper route, Ribsy interrupts his plans by fetching all the neighbors’ papers. Henry has to brainstorm with Beezus to try to “untrain” the dog. Henry’s creative solution is to use the water pistol on Ribsy whenever he grabs a paper.
Ribsy even causes trouble doing nothing at all. When Henry ties him to a parking meter, Ribsy gets a ticket in his collar, causing Henry more grief: “Scooter was first to understand. He shouted with laughter. ‘It’s a parking ticket! Ribsy got a parking ticket!’” (60). Ribsy is always challenging Henry’s patience and problem-solving skills, helping to develop the story’s theme— and Henry’s character.
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