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Symbols & Motifs
Hope House
Content Warning: This section contains discussions of emotional trauma and mental health conditions.
Hope House is an important symbol in the book. It is the family shelter that the Trudeaus move into after a brief stint at an emergency shelter. The Trudeaus’ first impression of the emergency shelter is a grim one. Gary is forced to stay in another building, as the one they first arrive at houses women and children separately; this is upsetting to an already distressed family. Additionally, Piper cannot help compare the shelter to the home they have left behind and feels terrible about her new situation.
Hope House, as the name suggests, is a far more positive experience for the Trudeaus. To begin with, they can reunite as a family, and it is one of the things they have to be thankful for on the first night there. Secondly, it is where Piper finds Firefly Girls Troop 423, the same one she saw advertised earlier and reminded her of her troop back home. The troop fast becomes her community, helping her feel more stable and at home. Over time, the Trudeaus’ lives at Hope House see a steady uptick: Gary finds a job, Piper and Dylan settle into school, and Piper grows closer with other children at Hope House through Firefly Girls, as well as through their shared efforts at helping Jewel and Baby.
In this way, Hope House offers hope not only to Piper and the Trudeaus but also to Jewel and Baby, who can reunite because of the inhabitants there, and Ree, who sees that humans can also be good. Thus, as its name suggests, Hope House becomes a literal symbol of hope for the story’s main characters: Piper, Jewel, and Baby.
The Doughnut and the Hole
Throughout the book, Piper’s parents remind her to look at the “doughnut” and not “the hole.” This refrain becomes a recurring motif throughout the book. It begins when the Trudeaus gather at night to list the things they are grateful for; Piper struggles to think of things, and her parents encourage her to look for the positive despite their current difficult circumstances. This underlines the theme of Resilience in the Face of Adversity—the Trudeaus are determined to remain positive and work hard to change their circumstances, is a sign of their resilience.
Later in the story, as Piper attempts to collect enough funds for Jewel and Baby, she worries that they will run out of time. However, she forces herself to list things that she can be grateful for now, remembering to look at the “doughnut” and not “the hole.” Her attempt to do so on her own shows how she is beginning to adopt this attitude on her own, paralleling the kind of effort she is putting in and the resilience she is beginning to build through helping Jewel and Baby.
Eventually, when Piper and her family gather for movie night, Piper can appreciate all the positive things in her life, irrespective of her current situation. She recognizes the good things that coming to Hope House has given her and values the closeness that her family has developed through their tough times. Situationally, not a lot has changed—Piper and her family are still living in a shelter, far away from their home, and without a lot of money. However, Piper’s sense of contentment and joy with her current life shows that she has finally come to see the “doughnut” all on her own.
A Pack of Two
Baby thinks of himself and Jewel together as a “pack of two,” and this phrase recurs throughout the book. It underlines The Powerful Bond Between Humans and Animals—Baby thinks of Jewel not as his “owner” but as his family. This is an idea reiterated by Ree’s explanation of how people without homes care for their pets as their own. Ree, Jewel, and others like them choose not to live in shelters because their pets are not accepted. To them, their pets are akin to family members and the only companions they have in the world. Thus, when Baby thinks of Jewel and him as a “pack” together, this is a sentiment reciprocated by Jewel’s actions and choices as well.
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