Capture The Flag

These chapters provide several revelations that allow characters to make connections that help solve the mystery, with many clues from earlier chapters coming full circle. Mr. McGilligan’s disclosure that Vincent Goosen was once a member of the Silver Jaguar Society resolves the question of what Anna’s mother was going to tell her before they were disconnected and explains why he’s so dangerous—he knows who the other members are. Mr. McGilligan’s fear of the Serpentine Princes hurting his wife emphasizes this threat. It also deepens the kids’ fear of Snake-Arm and their belief that he must be involved.

The revelations Messner provides in this section, in combination with the dwindling of the snowstorm and resumption of flights, create a ticking clock that adds tension to the kids’ efforts as the plot builds toward the climax. Snickerbottom’s insistence that the orchestra is guilty because a piece of the flag was found on Sinan’s mother’s tuba confirms the musicians are being framed: Anna “knew exactly where that bit of flag had come from” after hearing the men tear it (153). When the clamp falls out of Earl’s pocket, José makes the connection and identifies him as the flag thief, supporting his inference that Snickerbottom is involved. Even Earl’s sneezes call back to the sneezes from his “darn allergies” (15) when he steals the flag in Chapter 2. As Anna watches the snowplows do their work, Messner uses her internal thoughts as exposition that clearly states the drama of the situation for readers: “She had to tell her dad—or somebody who mattered—the truth about the flag before they left for Vermont. [...] Sinan’s mother or father would be on an airplane with threads of stolen flag in their tuba case, and then nobody would believe her” (155). Outlining the threats faced by the protagonists in this way reinforces the stakes of the plot and underscores the urgency of the ticking clock.

As the kids race toward this goal, their use of the airport and the crowds to disguise and defend themselves illustrates The Value of Teamwork and Diverse Perspectives. Their ingenuity creates several ironic plot twists, some of which help the kids and some of which put them in additional danger, keeping both the kids and the reader off-balance, unable to predict what will happen next. On their second venture into the baggage area, Anna’s escape is stymied by the shampoo she and José used to deter Snake-Arm; however, Henry rescues her with the golf club they spilled in that same adventure. Henry’s rescue of Anna and protection of Sinan further develop his character into the “man of action” he aspires to be. When he appears to retreat into his video game console when Snickerbottom appears, Anna’s disbelief underscores the idea that this is not the person readers have seen him become. Rather, Henry takes advantage of the senator’s assumption that he’s just an apathetic kid more interested in video games than the “important” matters of political scheming and flag-stealing to make a video of his arrogant confession. Messner characterizes Snickerbottom as condescending toward the kids from the start, ignoring Anna’s interview requests and telling Henry to play his “little game and stay put” (182), and in these chapters, she reveals the full villainy of his true character. His assumption about Henry also points to The Danger of Assumptions and Prejudices, emphasizing that it’s a mistake to underestimate people just because they’re young, an overarching theme that carries through many of Messner’s novels.

Hammurabi’s just-in-time reappearance provides another full-circle moment in the narrative. It recalls Snickerbottom’s earlier fear and nastiness toward the dog and also uses the opposing aspects of Hammurabi’s personality: named for a warrior king, he rescues the kids, but does so only because he wants to eat Snickerbottom’s Tootsie Rolls. The image of the poodle, “straddling the still-struggling Snickerbottom, chomping on a Tootsie Roll, and dripping brown drool onto the senator’s crisp white shirt” provides a moment of comic relief and a sense that the senator is finally getting what he deserves (187). With Snickerbottom’s confession, Anna, Henry, and Sinan know the who of the mystery but still aren’t sure of the how and the why. These questions—and the possibility that the conspirators are still pursuing them—provide a cliffhanger driving the narrative to its conclusion.