How To Eat Fried Worms

Throughout the novel, Rockwell returns to themes of war, battle, and fighting. At first, these dark themes stand in such stark contrast to the story at hand—eating worms—that it feels like a jovial juxtaposition. But as the tone of the book shifts to accommodate increasinly dangerous treachery, the theme feels more poignant.

The very framework of the bet matches that of a traditional duel, in which two fighters battled to defend their honor. In duels of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, men would fight in duels in order to prove they were willing to risk their lives to prove and defend their own honor. In earlier centuries, the duel would be fought with swords, but in later centuries, fighters preferred pistols. While there were always two duelers, they would be supported by a partner, or “second,” who would try to find other ways to settle the dispute. If they were unable to avoid a physical conflict, the seconds would arrange the details of the duel. In How to Eat Fried Worms, Billy and Alan participate in a duel of wits with Tom and Joe acting as their seconds and helping arrange the details of their conflicts. At the climax, as with real duels, physical conflict is unavoidable as Alan considers throwing Billy down the well.

The theme of battle is also present throughout the book in its chapter titles. Key moments in the Pacific theater of WWII are presented in the chapter titles, such as Admirals Nagumo and Kusaka on the Bridge of the Akaiga, Pearl Harbor, and Guadalcanal. These key moments in one of the greatest wars in modern history find a mirror in the conflict enacted between the four young boys.

Rockwell’s decision to incorporate images of WWII into his narrative is meaningful and reflective of both the state of the nation and his own life. When the book was published in 1973, WWII was less than 30 years in the past. It was still a powerful and heartbreaking memory for many Americans (and others around the world), and Rockwell’s reference to it would have felt relateable to many readers, especially children whose fathers or grandfathers were involved in the conflict. However, referencing the war in such a flippant, even lighthearted context—the boys are eating worms, not fighting in a worldwide war, after all—Rockwell also indicates that the solemnity of the topic is beginning to wane. For years following WWII, it was too soon to make light of those events, but it was finally allowable, if subtly so, by 1973.

The incorporation of WWII into the narrative is also a nod to Rockwell’s father, the famous illustrator Norman Rockwell, whose images came to define many Americans’ perspectives of the conflict. Icons of WWII—such as Rosie the Riveter and Willie Gillis—were the product of Norman Rockwell’s paintings. By incorporating imagery of WWII into his book, Thomas Rockwell both acknowledges his father’s contribution to American art and reclaims the experience of WWII as his own.

Like soldiers of worm-eating, Billy and Tom must battle the challenges presented to them by their enemies. As in any war, the stakes heighten as the conflict continues. What saves the group from complete disaster is both sides’ willingness to forgive—a sentiment often lost in wartime, even after opponents declare a truce. Billy’s willingness to share his minibike and the group’s decision to remain friends presents an alternative to the typical end of war, one in which the victors and losers unite for a common good. That they manage to emerge from their adventure still on good terms is a credit to their willingness to patch up their differences and move back toward what’s really important when growing up: having good friends.