Linked

In Chapter 1, Michael describes the swastika as “spray-painted in red on the blank expanse of wall above the staircase leading to the second story” (5). The custodians quickly repaint the wall in white, but across the narrative, characters mention that the specter of the swastika lingers long after it has physically been removed. Until the students confront and respond to what has happened, its effect continues to be felt. A harmful action cannot be painted over and ignored. This reflects Chokecherry’s attempt to paint over its history; by the end of the narrative, both of these things have been brought to light, with efforts toward reparations and remembrance.

After his classmates carry him out of his bar mitzvah, Link finds himself standing in front of the wall where he painted the swastika. He “gaze[s] up at the blank wall, and for the first time in forever, [he doesn’t] see the swastika [he] put there” (211). Though it had “been washed off and painted away for months,” it is only after Link’s bar mitzvah and his reconciliation with his community, after acknowledging what he did and striving to make amends, that “it’s finally gone” (211). This coincides with the community push to build a tolerance museum, which will feature remnants from the Night of a Thousand Flames. In this sense, the blank wall at the end of the novel symbolizes that there is a way forward after making a mistake, but only once the mistake is acknowledged and true amends are made.