46 pages • 1 hour read
Wendy MassJeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Wendy Mass
Wendy Mass has written over 30 books for young readers, her work often engages with contemporary social issues while centering individual coming-of-age stories as her protagonist's journey toward understanding, growth, and self-acceptance. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life brings these themes to life with its many characters of all ages, and Mass explores such topics in different ways throughout her body of work. One of her most noteworthy books, Every Soul a Star (2009), considers many of the same ideas explored in Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life through a wider lens. Told through alternating perspectives, Every Soul a Star brings together a girl who wants more from life, a popular girl who thinks she has it all, and a shy boy who, like Jeremy, misses his father. Their paths cross in a secluded environment away from technology, presenting an ideal chance for them to learn about one another and themselves. Through their shared viewing of an eclipse, Mass brings the reader through the insecurities, hopes, and dreams of these three kids, offering a tale that speaks to readers of all ages. Mass tackles similar topics in her other books, including Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall (the tale of a teenage girl who must find what makes life worthwhile), A Mango-Shaped Space (about a girl who sees sounds in color and must learn that this does not make her a freak), and 11 Birthdays (in which a girl relives her 11th birthday over and over until she learns the truth of what tore her and her best friend apart).
Geographical Context: New York City
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life is set against the backdrop of New York City. On their quest to find the four keys that will open the box from Jeremy’s dad, Jeremy and Lizzy traverse many parts of the city, and each of their adventures correlates to a growth experience that Mass uses the city’s unique feel to illustrate. When searching for the keys on their own, Jeremy and Lizzy begin in their neighborhood, a small community and—for Jeremy—an island of safety and familiarity within the intimidatingly huge metropolis. As they expand their search, they use the public transit system, which Mass uses to show the differences between Lizzy’s adventurous nature and Jeremy’s desire to stay within his comfort zone. Once the children begin working with Mr. Oswald, they see the city through the new lens of the well-to-do, riding in his private limousine to places they never even contemplated before. The third delivery takes them to the Museum of Natural History, a prominent landmark and place of learning within New York. This location symbolizes Jeremy’s ever-curious nature and highlights the character of New York City as a setting—a place with an inexhaustible capacity to surprise. At the end of the book, Jeremy’s view of the city and its many parts changes as he grows. Altogether, Mass uses New York as both a setting and a way to measure the progress of the characters along their arcs.
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