42 pages • 1 hour read
Rob BuyeaBecause of Mr. Terupt
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 2, Chapters 7-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 2
Part 2, Chapter 7 Summary: “march”
Mr. Terupt is in a coma. A substitute comes the very next day, and Mrs. Williams speaks to Mr. Terupt’s class. She assures the students that “the snowball incident was an accident—not anyone’s fault” (148). Jessica worries that Mr. Terupt will be in trouble for having let things get out of control, and she considers the possibility of Mrs. Williams being to blame as well for having given permission for the snow play.
Luke’s mom accompanies him to visit Mr. Terupt in the hospital. Upon seeing Mr. Terupt in a coma, Luke is convinced his teacher is going to die. Jeffrey blames himself for the accident and wants to go back to not caring about anything. Anna initiates a group visit with Danielle and Jessica, and this time, Danielle gets permission from her mother to go. When the girls meet to ride to the hospital together, Anna realizes that her mother recognizes Danielle’s older brother, Charlie. Anna’s mom and Danielle’s brother are the same age, knew one another in high school, and are both single. Danielle dismisses Anna’s match-making thoughts and decides that she likes hanging out at Anna’s house, though she knows it will be tough to convince her family to let her spend time with her friend outside of school.
Visiting Mr. Terupt together gives the girls the courage to make the trip to the hospital. They’re surprised to see Alexia crying at Mr. Terupt’s bedside when they arrive. Jessica comforts Alexia, and the girls hug before apologizing for the way they treated one another. Alexia hugs Danielle and Anna as well. Alexia arrives at the hospital alone, but she leaves with three friends in Jessica, Danielle, and Anna.
At home, Anna asks Terri whether she blames her for being ostracized as a teen mom. It’s a question that’s been on Anna’s mind for a long time but visiting Mr. Terupt with her friends gives her courage to finally ask. She’s relieved when Terri responds, “I would endure all that pain again in an instant so that I could have you. I’ve never blamed you” (176). Anna, Jessica, and Alexia are all in families without father figures, and Danielle prays for them once she realizes this. She also prays her family will allow her to go to Anna’s house again.
Luke visits Mr. Terupt a second time and learns from one of the doctors that Mr. Terupt has a history of concussions from his wrestling days. Mr. Terupt was a wrestler in his youth, and multiple concussions over the years have left parts of his brain weakened. Luke realizes that Mr. Terupt’s medical history plays a huge role in the severity of his injury, and he concludes that Peter isn’t solely to blame. But Peter doesn’t know about Mr. Terupt’s history of concussions, so he thinks himself entirely to blame and avoids interacting with people at school. Before Luke leaves the hospital, he also learns that Mr. Terupt needs brain surgery.
Part 2, Chapter 8 Summary: “april”
Mrs. Williams steps in as the permanent substitute for Mr. Terupt’s class. Jessica is distracted from learning and instead ponders reasons for the accident as she searches for some good that’s come from it. Luke is also distracted from school. He considers telling Peter: “He should be blaming himself. He threw that snowball. But if it had hit anyone other than Mr. Terupt, I don’t think we’d be experiencing a tragedy like this. That’s what Peter needs to know” (189). Luke doesn’t tell Peter what he knows, though.
Danielle and Anna become distracted when Anna’s mom and Danielle’s brother spend time together. Anna gets excited at the thought that of the two get married; that makes Anna and Danielle sisters. Danielle tells Anna directly, “Anna, Charlie will never marry your mother [...] My family would never allow it” (193). Danielle tells Anna exactly how her family feels about Anna’s mom, leaving Anna feeling ostracized and guilty all over again. Danielle later realizes how harsh her words are, but for the time, Anna is crushed.
A party invitation from the Collaborative Classroom breaks the tense mood in Mr. Terupt’s class. James, the autistic student in the Collaborative Classroom who has bonded with many of Mr. Terupt’s students, is moving to another school, and there is a going-away party for him. Mr. Terupt’s students go to the party, but it’s difficult for them to be happy without their teacher. At the party, James walks up to Peter, gives him a hug, and tells him, “Peter, not your fault. Not your fault” (200). James repeats this louder and louder, and the room becomes quiet until Luke steps forward and tells everyone what he knows about Mr. Terupt’s past concussions, that the accident’s outcome isn’t entirely Peter’s fault, and that Mr. Terupt is going to have brain surgery. Luke admits his part in the snow fight, and the students all hug one another.
Jeffrey closes the chapter with a glimpse of his home life, which is silent and carries a mood of sadness and guilt over Michael’s death. Jeffrey finally opens up to his parents with his emotions. He starts by gently assuring his mother, who has struggled to get out of her pajamas since Michael’s passing, “It’s not your fault. I love you” (211). His mother doesn’t react, but just staying by her side and resting next to her makes Jeffrey feel better. His father notices, and they tell one another “It’s not your fault” as well. Jeffrey comes to understand that just being next to his mom is helpful to her, so he begins resting next to her each day after school.
Part 2, Chapters 7-8 Analysis
The theme of blame strengthens in Part 2 of the novel as students grapple with their roles in the accident. Luke’s instinct is to blame the authority figure (Mr. Terupt) for not taking charge of a dangerous situation, and Jessica takes this a step further by applying blame to Mrs. Williams for having given special permission to play in the snow. Mr. Terupt tries to instill a sense of individual responsibility in each of his students through various means, but Luke and Jessica still look to authority figures to be responsible for them. When Luke finds out about Mr. Terupt’s history of concussions, he has the opportunity to relieve Peter of some of his guilt, but he waits to share what he knows.
Danielle demonstrates growth in her courage to finally ask permission to spend time with Anna. She also begins developing her own ideas about Anna and her mom: “I wondered what could possibly be the bad influence in Anna’s house. I liked it here. And I liked the two people who lived here” (160). But Danielle also reveals a weakness in her character when she responds harshly to Anna, even though Danielle has experienced bullying herself.
Anna’s point of view is one of a match-maker, so it’s easy for readers to get caught up in her curiosity about Danielle’s brother, Charlie, and his history with her mother. This creates conflict, though, as Danielle’s courage to speak up grows. Danielle knows her family doesn’t approve of Anna, but until now, she’s not said anything about it to Anna directly. She was even genuinely hoping to spend more time with Anna outside of school, but Anna playing match-maker between her mom and Danielle’s brother is more than Danielle can tolerate, leading her to snap at Anna. Danielle recognizes the irony of the bullied becoming the bully, though, when she reflects on the confrontation: “I know what it’s like to have people gang up on you. Being big, I learned real quick. It stinks. I never thought I’d do that to someone else, but I did. I didn’t even realize it” (207).
The end of Chapter 8 is a turning point for Jeffrey in his guilt over Michael’s death. He starts as a withdrawn student, and Mr. Terupt’s influence encourages him to put an effort into rebuilding his relationship with his parents. The first two chapters of Part 2 establish a shift from blame and guilt to forgiveness and support, setting the tone for the plot’s falling action and resolution.
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