Closed for the Season

“A black mutt about the size of a German shepherd watched us from the porch. Mom edged behind Dad, but there was no need to be scared. The dog got to his feet and wagged his tail as if he was greeting old friends.” 

Right away Hahn establishes Bear as an animal with almost telepathic powers. Throughout the entire novel, he frequently functions as a plot device to move the boys’ investigation forward. Bear often leads the boys to the right clue at the right time. This initial introduction to Bear gives him a knowing wisdom that continues throughout the text. 

“‘We can be friends anyway. Living so close—that’s propinquity.’ He paused to see if I knew what ‘propinquity’ meant. In case I didn’t, he added, ‘That means proximity or nearness. Also kinship and similarity in nature.’ He flashed a crooked grin.” 

Arthur’s intelligence cannot be doubted, and he knows it. Arthur is used to being the most clever and well-read in the room, and immediately believes that Logan is, likewise, not as intelligent as he. This is the not case as Logan is, in fact, as much of a nerd as Arthur. Logan is willing to let Arthur believe he is smarter, however, as he initially wants to shed the nerd persona he had in his previous town.

“Somebody broke in and killed her. Then they tore the whole house apart—not just the kitchen, but every room, including the attic. They were looking for money, I guess.” 

This moment in the text introduces the core of the mystery to Logan and the readers. There is an immediate question within these lines, an answer waiting to be found. It whets Logan’s appetite and encourages him to continue digging into the truth with Arthur. Likewise, it also keeps the audience reading forward so that they might also uncover the truth.

“‘He’ll be sorry when he’s older,’ Mom interrupted. Giving me a sharp look, she added, ‘I hear it’s a very painful and expensive process to have tattoos removed.’”

This is one of the first examples of Mrs. Forbes’s protectiveness. Her almost over-protectiveness can be tracked throughout the entirety of the book. It has, undoubtedly, raised Logan into a child that is entirely antithetical to the brave and free-spirited Arthur. This moment also shows how differently Mr. and Mrs. Forbes view parenting, as well as their contrasting views on the importance of appearances. As an art teacher, Mr. Forbes is impressed by the artistic quality of the tattoos. 

“I guessed the word ‘etiquette’ and its definition were missing from his enormous vocabulary.”

Logan frequently judges Arthur at the beginning of their friendship. His cutting remarks are most often levelled at Arthur’s lack of manners, as well as his talkativeness. Logan’s annoyance at Arthur, however, gradually begins to ebb as the boys’ friendship becomes stronger. By accepting Arthur and his flaws, Logan also learns to accept his own. 

“Later that night as I was getting ready for bed, I found myself hoping Arthur was right about the termites. The sooner the house fell down, the sooner we’d move to a nice house in Fair Oaks where no one had been murdered. I’d leave Arthur behind and make new friends. Just because I’d been a nerd in Richmond didn’t mean I had to be a nerd here. I could start over, learn some sports, get better-looking clothes, and say the right thing instead of something dumb.” 

This is an important passage in the novel that allows the reader to further understand some of Logan’s motivations. He continues to hide his intelligence and is almost cruel to Arthur as he is afraid to be seen around town with him. This fear, however, does not stem from his hatred of Arthur, but from his own shame at how similar they are. Logan wants to be popular for the first time in his life, and is willing to reject not only Arthur but also his true self to do so. 

“Grandma says helmets take all the fun out of bike riding.”

This quote throws into sharp contrast the different parenting styles between the Forbeses and the Jenkinses. While Mr. Forbes calls out to Logan to wear a helmet, Mrs. Jenkins does not, and even promotes a bit of recklessness and fun. The Forbeses are helicopter parents, hovering to ensure that Logan is safe, while Mrs. Jenkins allows Arthur to do and go where he pleases.

“I looked at Arthur with admiration, maybe even envy. I’d never been to a funeral. Not even my grandparents’ or my favorite aunt’s. Mom thought I was too young to be exposed to such things, but I felt as if I’d missed out on something. Every kid I knew had been to at least one funeral.”

Logan has led quite a sheltered life before his arrival in Bealesville. His parents keep him separate from the realities of life, one of which is funerals. Logan’s response to this is not one of appreciation, but one of frustration at his parents. He is envious of Arthur and his friends who have been allowed to process their grief and grow up beyond the sheltered bubble of childhood.

“‘Everybody goes to Wal-Mart now,’ Arthur explained. ‘Grandma says it’s a real pity. She used to work in a nice little card shop, but it closed last year. People can buy stuff cheaper at Wal-Mart.’”

There is a recurring subplot throughout the novel of small, local shops being put out of business by large corporations. The closing of the amusement park as well is due to Mr. DiSilvio’s desire for a large company to take over and make it a new development. Though the reader is aware that the giant corporations pose a threat to the residents of Bealesville, Hahn forces us to consider how they might also provide more opportunities to its citizens.

“‘Reading’s okay,’ I said as I took the pen she offered me and filled out an application for a library card. Like Arthur, I’d been the prize winner in my school’s read-a-thon, but I didn't want people thinking we were just alike. If I hadn’t been scared of being caught in a lie, I’d have said I was too busy playing sports to read. That would have set us apart. Arthur was obviously no better at physical stuff than I was.” 

Logan would initially have been open to prompting from Rhoda and Anthony DiSilvio. Had they met sooner rather than later, Logan would have gotten his original wish to be popular, to play sports, and to separate himself from Arthur and also his own actual interests. Logan’s later refusal to betray Arthur displays an emotional growth that has allowed him to accept himself.

“‘If you’d lived in Bealesville as long as I have,’ Arthur said, ‘you’d understand. The Phelpses and the Jarmons are the worst families in town. They’re all related to each other—the most twisted DNA you’ll ever come across. Grandma says they're directly descended from Cain.’”

As previously mentioned, the different clans within the town of Bealesville continue to partake in an endless cycle of bullying. They fuel the rumor mill, looking down upon one another. This occurs primarily through the generalizations of an individual based on their family and their last name. In the above quote, Mrs. Jenkins has taught Arthur, who has now passed on to Logan, that all the Phelpses and Jarmons are wicked and irredeemable. 

“I hesitated, but Arthur was already vanishing into the kudzu. Taking a deep breath, I followed him into the Magic Forest. It was the first time I’d ever trespassed, and I couldn’t help thinking I’d just taken a step into a new—and dangerous—life.”

Logan is not as brave as Arthur, and often overcome with anxiety when facing danger or the uncertainty on their quest to solve the mystery. Logan is capable of bravery, however, and that is exemplified here. He chooses to follow Arthur into the kudzu, not because he is no longer scared, but in spite of his fear.

“Images of drug dealers and dangerous criminals flitted across the little movie screen in my head. Here we were, miles from help. No one knew where we were. Mom had warned me about lonely places. Why hadn’t I listened?” 

This is yet another example of the Forbeses’ overprotectiveness. As a result, Logan is used to having his parents, or other adults around to get him out of dangerous situations. These “lonely places,” devoid of adults, have been portrayed as dangerous. Soon, however, Logan begins to see them as sources for adventure and excitement.

“‘Just because his grandmother lets him wander all over the state of Virginia,’ Dad said, ‘doesn’t mean you can do the same. Do you hear me?’”

Mrs. Jenkins has an entirely different approach to parenting than the Forbeses do. She encourages Arthur to explore the town and do as he pleases, to learn from his mistakes through his own experiences. It is a trial by fire, but as a result, Arthur appears more equipped to handle real life situations and problems than Logan is. 

“Who knows what Arthur and I might do? I didn’t have a clue myself. But whatever it was, it would be better than Little League. And it wouldn’t be any of Rhoda’s business.”

Logan pushes back against Mrs. Forbes’s belief that Rhoda is correct about sports and appearances. Rhoda looks down on reading, and on Arthur, something that Logan once did as well. His refusal to comply to Mrs. Forbes and Rhoda indicates that he has matured quite a bit through his experiences thus far.

“‘How much is this?’ A woman in a flowered blouse and tight pink pants came up to Violet, holding a purple plastic file box. ‘I don’t know why you people can’t put prices on things.’” 

This is another example of the class differences at play in Bealesville. Violet is one of the most vulnerable characters in the novel, and she is repeatedly treated poorly by the people around her. As a wife, woman, and worker, she is disrespected and consistently treated as somehow less than others. 

“Grabbing our bikes, we sped away, unnoticed, uncaught, criminals in the making. We might as well have been part of the Jarmon/Phelps extended family.” 

Logan has truly become a part of Bealesville. By interacting with Arthur, Mrs. Jenkins, and the entire town as a whole, criminality is now somehow synonymous with the Jarmon and Phelps family. While this indicates that Logan is acclimatizing to his new town, the reader is forced to contend with the fact that this might mean that he is also beginning to buy into its biases and prejudices.

“I used to pretend Eleanor Beale was my mother, and I was her little boy, and we were reading that book together. Sometimes if no one was around, I’d even climb into her lap. Dumb, huh?"

The above quote illuminates the finer points of Arthur’s character. Often portrayed as bold, daring, and a loudmouth, this moment shows that Arthur also faces problems with his own parents or lack thereof. He is insecure about his parentage, and desperately yearns for a mother figure. As such, he is especially connected to books and reading.

“Mom sighed. ‘If you don't like Anthony, find someone you do like. A nice boy from a good home. Not…’ She didn't need to finish the sentence. We both knew what she meant. Someone who’s popular, plays sports, gets good grades, fits in. Someone whose father makes big bucks. Someone who lives in a fancy house.”

The above quote exemplifies Mrs. Forbes’s over-emphasis on external appearances, especially in social situations. Logan has absorbed so much of what her views are that he knows, without much prompting, what his mom wants him to be more like. 

“Next, she’d start on Dad’s hippie past and his low salary and the dumpy house we lived in. Before I knew it, they'd be divorced and I’d have to pick which one to live with. Dad, probably. I had more in common with him. My belly twisted.” 

Logan has the common fear that his parents will get a divorce. He worries about disappointing his parents, but also fears that his own problems might impact their relationship. This likewise reflects how the Forbeses have drastically different views of what they want their lives to look like, and how they parent.

“To Mom's annoyance, we both laughed. It was a guy moment, a bonding thing, and I was happy when Dad reached back to tousle my hair.”

There are several instances in the text where Logan and Mr. Forbes share a bonding moment at the expense of Mrs. Forbes. Each moment seems to be forged because of Mrs. Forbes’s exclusion, rather than in spite of it. The book undoubtedly views the world through Logan’s eyes, a young boy who probably does not yet understand the intricacies of gender.

“Not ha-ha funny," he said. "Weird funny. Crazy funny. Me and him both having dads in jail. Who’d have thought such a thing?”

The DiSilvios and Phelpses are at entirely separate ends of the social strata in Bealesville. However, both Mr. DiSilvio and Silas are ultimately sent to jail. Perhaps due to everyone’s misgivings about the Phelpses, they were fooled by the DiSilvio’s act. Criminality and wickedness thus clearly are not concentrated in specific families alone. Criminality is not a trait or an unavoidable destiny, but a trap that anyone from any family can fall into. 

“‘I don’t know about that jerk Anthony,’ Danny said, ‘but I ain’t going near a prison.’” 

Danny Phelps has broken the cycle of abuse and criminality that the rest of Bealesville believes to be inherent to the Phelps name. By choosing not to shoot Mr. DiSilvio, and by giving up Silas to the law, Danny effectively turns his back on his father’s ways, and hopefully, towards a better and brighter for future.