76 pages • 2 hours read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
The Tuff Rider is Vic’s bicycle when she is a child. It has obvious connotations regarding Vic’s toughness and grit. Initially, it is a birthday present from her father. As the relationship between her parents worsens, the bicycle becomes a symbol of her need to escape from her reality. However, the bike also represents the reality of the inscapes, which includes the darkest parts of the alternate realities, including Christmasland. It also represents Vic’s desire to escape from herself: “[I]t was fast enough and powerful enough to race her away from the worst part of herself, the part that tried to make sense of things” (462). It is mobile, which helps her to stay moving when she feels suffocated in one place.
The bike evolves into a motorcycle—the Triumph—as Vic grows up. Triumph serves the same function as the Tuff Rider, transporting her to the Shorter Way Bridge. The Triumph connotes victory, and it is a major part of Manx’s defeat. When the novel concludes, Wayne hears a motorcycle in the distance. He associates the sound with his mother’s love for him, and for the thrill of the road, ending the story by using the motorcycle as a final representation of hope for his future.
Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Coming-of-Age Journeys
View Collection
#CommonReads 2020
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fantasy
View Collection
Horror, Thrillers, & Suspense
View Collection
Mortality & Death
View Collection
Mystery & Crime
View Collection
Religion & Spirituality
View Collection
Science Fiction & Dystopian Fiction
View Collection
SuperSummary Staff Picks
View Collection