44 pages • 1 hour read
Jennifer JacobsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Dang! The rental car was gone! He stood there, rooted as if his eyes just had to adjust to the light, had to let forms take shape, and the car would be there, right where she’d left it.”
The novel depicts Jack in third-person perspective but also as though his thoughts occur directly through the narrative. This narrative technique is called “free and indirect discourse.” This conveys a glimpse into Jack’s psyche throughout his experiences that helps reveal the reasons for his panic, confusion, shock, and loneliness.
“Slowly, slowly, she’d reached out her trunk again and touched his cheek. Jack remembered giggling, remembered feeling as if the elephant tent were the safest place in the world.”
Jack’s earliest memory is of meeting an elephant and feeling utterly safe and connected to her. For many years, Jack has believed that his mother is the one who took him to the circus to see the elephant, but in the end he learns that his grandmother actually took him. All along, Jack’s safest place was in his grandmother’s arms, looking at an elephant, and in the end, that’s exactly where he is again.
1. “Jack was glad he had two cups to fill; it gave him more time to think.”
Jack spends much time thinking, planning, and wondering what to do next. He often makes decisions on a whim or based on a present need rather than considering the bigger picture, but at other times he gives himself the space to think about what he should do next. In addition, Jack hops between optimism and pessimism. In this moment, he takes advantage of an inconvenience to avoid being conspicuous.
Plus, gain access to 8,500+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Action & Adventure
View Collection
Childhood & Youth
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Juvenile Literature
View Collection
Mental Illness
View Collection
Mothers
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
View Collection