Ivy and Bean

“Ivy was always reading a big book. Bean never read big books. Reading made her jumpy.”

Barrows uses juxtaposition to create ostensible differences between the girls. Her narrator puts Ivy’s love for large books beside Bean’s abstention from them to present their dissimilarity. The term “jumpy” is ironic. The word suggests reading makes Bean anxious, but the illustration indicates that books make Bean physically unable to stay still.

“So for weeks and weeks, Bean didn't play with Ivy. But one day something happened that changed her mind.”

Barrows quickly moves time along. She introduces Bean and Ivy, and then she skips “weeks and weeks” before she brings them together. As the quote ends in Chapter 1, the first chapter ends on a cliffhanger. Here, Barrows establishes anticipation about discovering what makes Bean change her mind.

“Nancy thought Bean was a pain and a pest. Bean thought Nancy was a booger-head.”

Barrows uses juxtaposition with Bean and Nancy to highlight their conflict. The terms indicate the differences in age, with “pain” and “pest” sounding more mature than “booger-head.” “Pain” and “pest” are also an example of alliteration as both words start with the letter “p.” The alliteration makes the insult melodious and snappy.

“‘Don't be a tightwad,’ said Bean. She had just learned that word. It meant someone who didn't like to spend money.”

The story is educational, as Barrows introduces words that may have previously been unknown. When Bean uses the term “tightwad,” the narrator defines it in case it is unclear. The term is also comedic since Nancy isn’t a genuine “tightwad.” She’s an 11-year-old, so $40 is a lot of money for her.

“Bean thought about kicking her in the shin. But then she got the idea. It was a great idea. It was also a helpful idea.”

Bean chooses The Drama of Preparation over the satisfaction of an immediate reaction. The narrator builds the suspense about Bean’s plan by repeating “idea” three times but not specifying the idea. Only reading on will reveal Bean’s idea.

“[I]t ended in a big circle right in front of Bean's house. Her dad called it a cul-de-sac. Bean called it cool.”

More subtly, Barrows defines a cul-de-sac—a street that ends in a “big circle.” Bean’s father uses the proper term, but Bean uses the word “cool,” and the juxtaposition creates humor.

“Sometimes Bean wished she were an orphan so she could live in an orphanage with a hundred other kids.”

The wish to be an orphan showcases Bean’s unsettling thoughts, and it previews her connection to Ivy: Death captivates the both of them. Conversely, the quote also reveals her innocence. Bean doesn’t want her parents to die as much as she wants to be around friends all the time, an innocent perception of an orphanage’s function.

“Bernice was Bean's real name. People used it only when they were yelling at her.”

The narrator links Bean’s formal name to trouble. Thus, when other characters use it, Barrows shows that Bean is in trouble. As Bernice isn’t a playful nickname like Bean, it makes sense that Bernice is the name people use when they plan on reprimanding her.

“[T]hey'd be so happy to see her when she came limping home that they probably wouldn't punish her at all. They might even let her have seconds on dessert.”

Bean plans to stay away from home until night so that her parents’ anger turns to worry. As the final chapter carries the name “No Dessert,” Bean’s idea backfires. She doesn’t get more dessert; she doesn’t get any dessert at all.

“Ivy looked like a wimp, but she didn't talk like one.”

As soon as Bean gets to know more about Ivy, she realizes her judgments about her were incorrect. Though Ivy appears timid and unadventurous, her take-charge attitude contradicts her looks and matches Bean’s boldness.

“I do too get in trouble.”

While nice represents boring, trouble symbolizes excitement. Ivy maintains she gets into trouble to prove that she’s as intrepid and daring as Bean.

“I just learned this spell that makes you invisible […] I haven’t done it yet […] You’ve got to have a dead frog.”

A continued focus on death unites the girl. At the same time, the emphasis on the dead frog is comical, as Ivy turns it into a must-have commodity, like an expensive toy or desirable article of clothing.

“It is too a wand! And you better watch out, or I'll use it on you!”

Ivy and Bean don’t seamlessly transition from judgment to friendship. There are brief setbacks, like when Bean says Ivy’s “wand” is a “stick.” The tension reveals that Ivy can stand up for yourself and is as tenacious as Bean.

“It'll make your spells better, too. You've got to dress for success.”

Bean persuades Ivy to let her makeover her witch look by citing the greater effectiveness of her spells. Bean makes the idiom “dress for success” comedic, turning casting a spell on someone into an accomplishment.

“In the middle of the blanket lay a Barbie doll, wrapped up in toilet paper. All the other dolls were watching her.”

The Barbie doll advances the focus on death, with the toilet paper serving as a shroud for Barbie, who Ivy intends to bury. Ivy’s plans for Barbie represent her rejection of traditional gender norms for girls. She doesn’t want to maintain the standards; she wants to get rid of them. At the same time, the transformed Barbie showcases the product’s mobility. Barbie also represents empowerment and can be anything, including a mummy.

“Witches are only green in movies. Real witches are just regular-colored.”

Ivy’s brief lecture on witches is ironic in that it adds to the common belief that movies don’t accurately represent people or events. The twist is that Ivy treats witches as a true demographic, and as “real” people, they suffer the same fate as other groups of people.

“Ivy, Bean saw, did not really know how to climb a fence […] Bean showed her how to find the little holes and bumps that make a ladder.”

Ivy and Bean reveal The Benefits of Cooperation. By teaming up, Ivy teaches Bean about witches, and Bean teaches Ivy how to properly climb a fence. Working together helps the girls learn new skills and knowledge.

"I don't think you're sorry, Bernice. If you were sorry, you wouldn't keep coming into my garden when I have asked you not to.”

Mrs. Trantz wants Bean’s words to match her actions. Bean says she’s sorry, but Mrs. Trantz doesn’t believe her because she continues to go into her garden despite repeatedly telling her not to. If Bean’s apology was sincere, she’d keep away from Mrs. Trantz’s garden. However, Bean wasn’t trying to disturb Mrs. Trantz’s garden. Her goal was to get to her backyard so she and Ivy could put the dancing spell on Nancy.

“The worms oozed and curled through the mud. Bean liked the way they were fat one second and stretched out and skinny the next.”

Barrows uses visceral diction to capture the slimy, creepy intrigue of worms for the girls. Words like “ooze” and “curl” convey the slippery traits, and the imagery of their different sizes showcases their simultaneous appeal and revulsion.

“Poor Nancy. Bean sniffed. Maybe she didn't want to put the dancing spell on her sister, after all.”

Barrows creates a sentimental moment between Nancy and Bean, with Bean thinking Nancy is crying over her, causing Bean to remember the kind things Nancy has done for her. Barrows doesn’t allow the emotional moment to last very long. Quickly, Bean realizes Nancy is crying over her inability to get her ears pierced, not Bean.

“‘What's that supposed to be?’ ‘This is your doom.’”

Ivy’s response to Nancy’s question is hyperbolic and comedic. The overdramatic definition reinforces Ivy’s commitment to witchcraft and her sincere belief that she is a witch. In other words, Ivy isn’t trying to be funny, which makes her funnier.

“‘She’s dancing!’ ‘The spell worked!’”

The girls work together to create their own reality. Bean claims Nancy is dancing, and Ivy attributes Nancy’s supposed dancing to the spell. The truth is that Nancy is balancing to avoid falling into the mud, but Bean and Ivy’s imaginations overpower the truth.

“[Y]our mom had this little, teeny smile on her face when she pulled Nancy out of the pit. She thought it was funny.”

Bean’s mother’s reaction reinforces the humor of Nancy falling into the pit. The image also suggests subtle approval. As Nancy is a character without many praiseworthy traits and due to their ongoing sibling rivalry, Bean didn’t see causing her to fall into the worm pit as a wrong action.