48 pages • 1 hour read
Tom RogersEleven
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Airplanes
Airplanes paradoxically symbolize both good and evil. Alex’s passion for planes, shared with both his father and Mac, represents joy and unity. In addition to Alex’s obsession with everything related to aircraft, planes bring people together. When Alex and Mac fly the model plane together, “for a while, they’d been able to forget their troubles and just have fun, and neither of them wanted it to end just yet” (148). Both have the “trouble” of fearing for their loved ones. Although each has family with them—Nunu and Dottie—neither Alex nor Mac has anyone to talk to because their loved ones know nothing about the terrorist attack. Therefore, flying planes together provides a respite from their anxiety and fear, allowing them to enjoy themselves for a few moments.
Despite the joy that planes bring to Alex and Mac, aircraft also represent death and destruction; they are the tools the terrorists use to bring down the Twin Towers, killing thousands and traumatizing many more. The destructive role of planes is underscored when Alex’s father runs through a thick cloud of dust and ash and bounces “off something large and rubbery […] a huge tire attached to an airplane’s landing gear. It had broken off one of the planes and shot through the tower to land all the way out here in the street” (73). In addition to the devastation of the buildings themselves, the plane parts also pose a threat to those on the street when debris from the aircraft falls everywhere. The tire shows that although the man is out of the World Trade Center, he is still far from safety. Ultimately, airplanes are a paradox because they simultaneously represent joyful unity and devasting loss.
Radar the Dog
Radar, who accompanies Alex throughout his journey, initially represents innocence but is developed into a motif showcasing the theme of Maturing When Faced with Adversity. When Alex first sees the dog, although it appears to be a stray that needs to survive, it is not scrounging for food or seeking shelter. Instead, it “had cornered a sock and was playing a game with himself, picking it up and flinging it across the ground, only to chase it down again. He was everything Alex had ever wished for, fun and feisty and full of mischief” (35). The animal’s playfulness reflects a childlike innocence, and just as children do not worry about procuring food and shelter, Radar does not either. Because the dog is described as fun, feisty, and mischievous—everything that Alex has dreamed of in a pet—Radar mirrors Alex’s immaturity and naïveté. Once the boy and the dog unite, their interactions are full of play, with Radar wanting to play fetch and even joining the baseball game.
However, when Radar is injured and Alex learns about the attacks, both lose their childlike playfulness and begin to mature. After leaving the veterinarian, Alex treks alone to the middle of a bridge, but Radar eventually joins him. The dog stays quiet as Alex realizes just how much peril his father is in. Furthermore, when they return home, Radar is obsessed with Alex’s father’s armchair, sniffing it and sitting in it whenever he can; then, when the dog senses the imminent return of the man, he bolts from the house. Although Alex thinks the dog is gone forever, Radar races to the boy’s father, making “sure he got home safely” (189). This sense of duty sets in as Alex, too, takes on more responsibility for the care of his sister. Alex’s mom recognizes this when she asks the animal, “You took care of my babies?” (190). Care and protection are two responsibilities bestowed upon adults, and Radar, like Alex, assumes these responsibilities as the day progresses, minimizing his playful demeanor. In his transformation, Radar, too, develops the idea that challenging circumstances force one to grow and mature.
Candles
Candles are a recurring symbol of hope. Before Alex is aware of the terrorist attack, he, Nunu, and Radar visit a bakery. After realizing that no one is there, Alex takes two cupcakes and inserts candles in them, singing “Happy Birthday” to himself. Afterward, “he knelt down even with the candles, so close he could feel their heat on his face. Then he made a silent wish, took a deep breath, and blew” (64). However, candles go beyond the customary birthday wish when Alex and Mac talk about how bad things happen in the world. The older man shares his wife’s saying that it is “better to light a candle than curse the darkness” and explains that it “means [you should] keep searching for the good” (142). This search equates to holding onto hope in times of tragedy. Darkness is often associated with evil, so lighting a candle creates a spark of hope to forge through challenging times. When Alex returns to Mac’s house with his family, he brings a slice of his birthday cake and lights the candles, reminding the man of his wife’s saying. At this moment, Mac “[breaks] into a wide, gentle smile, his eyes dancing in the warm glow of the flickering flames” (193). Despite the inevitability that Bobby will not return, Alex and the candles remind Mac of the good in the world. The warm glow of the candle flames represents the hope Mac has even in a time of loss.
