Ms. Bixby's Last Day

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains a description of death and a traumatic work accident.

Anderson uses three narrators in Ms. Bixby’s Last Day. While each of the students is quite distinct, one thing all of them share is a life of futility. Topher describes himself as fading into the background of his family. His parents no longer pay more than three seconds worth of attention to any of his drawings. He perceives this trend of family disconnection to continue unabated and finds his refuge from it in the fantasy worlds he creates. Steve, on the other hand, lives beneath the perpetual vigilance of his perfectionistic parents, who view any grade below an A as a crisis. He feels constantly measured against and dominated by his older, driven sister and takes refuge by fleeing to Topher’s house to participate in his fantasies. Brand endures the deepening futility of a father who is physically unable to return to work and who has given up on the possibility of rehabilitation. Brand has become his caregiver, providing for all the household needs while his father sits before the television. Brand escapes into thoughts of abandoning his father, forcing him to care for himself.