Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2004

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-10

Chapter 11-Afterword

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Racism’s Divisive Effect on a Community

One of the main conflicts of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is between the various groups and characters in Phippsburg. One group of characters, led by Mr. Stonecrop and Deacon Hurd, want racist, patriarchal, and economic power hierarchies to remain intact. Although they claim that they are forward-thinking and want to change their town for the better—“if this town is going to survive, we need not only hotels to house tourists, we need goodwill to bring them in” (128)—their attitude is racist, prejudiced, and motivated by what benefits them the most.

The other group of characters, which includes Turner and Mrs. Hurd, evaluate people based on personal qualities like courage, humor, intelligence, and kindness. They want a community that uses these metrics to determine worth. Mr. Newton, for example, freely offers to take Turner to the hospital to try and find Lizzie (197), signaling that he belongs to the progressive group. Turner’s own allegiance to this group is demonstrated when he tells Lizzie that her skin color, “won’t make a bit of difference” when he offers her Mrs. Cobb’s house (167). Turner discards the town’s benchmarks of success or personal worth based on race. Although on the surface, this group wants things to stay the same when it comes to Malaga Island, it also desires more prosperity for the islanders and for the town to forge a new identity for itself by inviting the Malaga residents to participate in the life of the town more fully.

Some characters move from the first group to the second group as the story goes on, notably Reverend Buckminster and Mrs. Cobb. Both come to embrace Turner’s attempts to help Lizzie, and Mrs. Cobb develops a personal relationship with Lizzie herself. This demonstrates that community and a sense of personal responsibility toward one another can help characters shift from one viewpoint to the other.

This theme mirrors the larger social issues of racial, economic, and gender equality that were being discussed and debated at the national level in early 20th-century America. By portraying the conflicts between and viewpoints of various characters in Phippsburg, Schmidt examines the larger social debate on a small scale, one that affects Turner profoundly and concretely as he makes friends, loses loved ones, and develops his sense of self.

Impacts of Parent-Child Relationships on Teenage Identity

A common theme explored in coming-of-age stories is that of the ways that a parent-child relationship affects a teenage protagonist’s sense of identity. Schmidt describes this dynamic through Turner’s relationship with his father, which goes through various stages in the book. At the beginning of the novel, Turner’s father chastises and reprimands his son severely for doing anything “unsuitable” in the eyes of the Phippsburg community. For example, after Mrs. Cobb tells Reverend Buckminster about Turner throwing rocks at her house, he forces his son to spend every day with Mrs. Cobb for the rest of the summer (23) and gives him a lecture on “his sins, repent[ing] sincerely, and learn[ing] what he should do to make amends” (22). When Turner tries to wave to his new friend Mrs. Hurd, “he felt his father’s hand on his arm” (22) to stop him, since Mrs. Hurd has a reputation for being eccentric. These examples illustrate that Reverend Buckminster is trying to intervene and steer his son in an “acceptable” direction. This creates internal conflict for Turner, who doesn’t want to embarrass his father, but can’t help doing what he feels is right.

Later in the book, father and son become more aligned in their values, as Reverend Buckminster begins to defy the expectations of the town leaders. For example, instead of punishing Turner after he helps Lizzie when she falls from the cliff, Reverend Buckminster looks contemplatively at his son and says, “Good Lord, Turner…you’re getting so much bigger these days” (88), a sign that he understands that his son is maturing. Turner’s actions and influence cause his father to change his mind about the Malaga eviction. The two also begin to bond over their study of ancient Greek literature and Charles Darwin’s works, which give them a way to explore ideas of courage, freedom, and knowledge together.

When Mr. Stonecrop demands that Turner give Mrs. Cobb’s house to the town, Turner views his father’s noncommittal answer as “an invisible buoy” in the “fog” of the church’s disapproval (160). Just as a buoy helps a boater avoid hazards or find a good place to anchor, Turner begins to view his father as assisting him as he navigates the issues facing him. This transition to a more supportive and understanding relationship between him and his father is one facet of Turner’s coming-of-age story. Although some teenage protagonists end the story being further estranged from their parents, in Turner’s case he gains a better understanding of and more equal footing with his father.

Racial and Economic Discrimination in 20th-Century America

One of the most persistent and powerful themes in the book is the presence of racial and economic discrimination as Turner observes it in Phippsburg. For example, one of the racist town leaders dehumanizes Lizzie, calling her “monkey” (19). The Malaga residents are also discriminated against because of their lower economic status, a status most of them are forced into because the townspeople forbid them from working on the mainland. Nonetheless, the Phippsburg leaders are unwilling to accept financial responsibility for the Malaga residents, saying that doing so would bankrupt the town. The derogatory attitudes of the leaders are expressed when the sheriff comments that “teaching those people is like teaching dogs to walk on their hind legs. All they know is living off others” (68). Comparing the people who live on Malaga to “dogs” furthers their dehumanization. Dehumanizing or berating the targets of discrimination is a common psychological tactic to justify the behavior.

Unlike Turner, Lizzie is pessimistic that Phippsburg will ever be able to overcome its prejudices enough to welcome her into its community. She says, “‘Look at me. No, look at me. Look at my skin. It’s black, Turner. No one in Phippsburg is going to let someone with skin as black as mine live with them. They’re not” (167). While Turner is repeatedly shocked and disgusted by the racism and greed he sees in the town, Lizzie views the discrimination as inevitable and unchangeable. Turner begins to realize the hopelessness of his campaign to move Lizzie into Phippsburg when he imagines that he sees her in Mrs. Cobb’s house, but then remembers “Lizzie had no key” (176). This image of a key, which allows someone to access the shelter and safety of a house, and Lizzie’s “lack” of one, underscores how disadvantaged Lizzie is when it comes to securing her own safety. This disadvantage occurs not through any fault of her own, but rather because of the unfair and inhumane prejudices of those in power.

Although the cause of Lizzie’s death is never explicitly discussed in the text, this despair may have contributed to her losing her will to live. This demonstrates how harmful the discrimination can be. The racial and economic discrimination leads to Lizzie’s death as the racist town leaders place her in a hospital for individuals with mental health issues, and her grandfather’s death as he sickens further without access or funds to the resources that would have prevented his passing.