54 pages • 1 hour read
Pablo CartayaA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“These names bothered me in sixth grade when I was excited to start middle school and make friends. But now, in eighth grade, my size has become a profit center.”
Marcus assures the reader that the names he is called (the Mastodon of Montgomery Middle, the Springfield Skyscraper, and the Terrible Tower) don’t bother him anymore, and he has turned his size to his advantage. However, mentioning that he was excited to make friends implies that he did not make any and is no longer excited about the process. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that the names affected Marcus deeply and influence how Marcus sees himself.
“My brother keeps high-fiving students as we head outside. They return the high fives but don’t really look at him, or me, for too long. Kids prefer not to pay attention to us unless they have to...”
This quote highlights the way Marcus interprets the responses he and Charlie get from other students before their trip. Initially, Marcus interprets everything negatively, assuming everyone is afraid of him, dislikes him, and is uncomfortable around Charlie. Marcus’s negative self-image distorts his interpretation of other people’s reactions to him.
“I tried to keep cool about most things. When you’re as big as me you can’t get rattled easily or you’ll scare people. But make fun of my brother and all bets are off.”
Stephen is mocking Marcus, calling him Gigantor, and imitating Charlie. In this quote, Marcus is explaining that he doesn’t respond to bullies like Stephen because he is used to people exaggerating any kind of response from him as a physical threat. However, this restraint does not apply when Charlie is the target. This quote highlights both Marcus’s fiercely protective stance toward Charlie and his belief that everyone sees him as a physical threat.
“‘You’re such a waste of space, Gigantor,’ Stephen taunts. ‘I mean, all that size and you can’t even dribble a basketball. Your mom and dad must be … Oh wait, that’s right. Your dad went to another country and never came back.’”
Stephen is baiting Marcus, willing Marcus to hit him and get into trouble. This quote illustrates how a skillful verbal bully can roll multiple hurtful points into one attack: Marcus’s size, his lack of coordination, his parents’ separation, and his absent father. It is also important because Stephen refers to Puerto Rico as “another country,” highlighting his lack of awareness that Puerto Rico is part of the US.
“You’re not a grown man, Marcus. You’re a kid. And I don’t want you getting into more trouble, trying to be your brother’s savior.”
Principal Jenkins is talking to Melissa and Marcus. With the best intentions for Marcus and Charlie, he suggested a special school for Charlie. Principal Jenkins recognizes that Marcus feels responsible for Charlie, but he believes the role of protector and savior is too much for a 14-year-old to take on. Despite initially being angry at Principal Jenkins, Melissa reconsiders this advice after the trip.
“I’m not used to someone giving me something just because they want to. Usually there is a transaction. I get something, they get something. Fear is generally a factor. This is a first.”
Danny loaned Marcus his parents’ camera and is excited for Marcus about his upcoming trip to Puerto Rico. Danny is being a friend to Marcus. Marcus has not been open to friendships throughout middle school because he assumes no one will like him because he is different. He assumes friendships are transactional because he has not had a true friendship before this one.
“He just left everything behind […] Then I get a call one day from Puerto Rico. It was your father halfheartedly saying I should join him once he got his new business up and running […] And then you wake up and 10 years have... […] Do you get why I don’t want to see him sweetheart?”
Melissa is trying to explain to Marcus why she is not excited to find her ex-husband, his father. However, the depth of her pain surrounding this event is lost on her son. The explanation is also incomplete and vague because it’s too painful for her to revisit the end of her marriage. Initially, Marcus is too fixated on his own reasons for finding his father to consider Melissa’s perspective.
“…I understand both worlds because they exist in the same person…”
This quote is a line taken from a book Charlie bought at the airport called Proud to be Boricua, which refers to someone who was born in Puerto Rico or has Puerto Rican heritage. This applies to both Marcus and Charlie. Before the trip, neither boy thought much about their heritage or took pride in it. After the visit, both Marcus and Charlie understand the importance of embracing both of their worlds.
“It feels nice disappearing behind the lens. It’s like looking without being looked at. And when you’re my size, you’re always looked at.”
Marcus is using the camera that Danny loaned him and is realizing how much he enjoys photography. He doesn’t only enjoy documenting the trip; he also takes comfort in feeling “smaller” and less noticeable behind the camera lens. This quote highlights how self-conscious Marcus feels about his size, which he dwells on daily.
“Charlie laughs uncontrollably and then hugs me. He takes my neck and brings me down to his face. ‘Nose kiss,’ he says, wiggling his nose across mine.”
Charlie just helped Marcus across the suspension bridge to the rooftop bungalow at Ermenio’s house. This quote captures how much the brothers love each other and how freely they show their affection. Marcus is reserved with everyone else, not making eye contact or initiating conversations. Charlie is friendly with everyone else but has a special, deeper relationship with Marcus.
“I snap a few more pictures, then my mom takes my hand and puts her other arm around Charlie. There we are, our first trip this far away, watching the night turn to sparkles and light, in a place we haven’t been, with strangers who say they’re family.”
Marcus is watching the fireworks with his mother, Charlie, and his new Puerto Rican family. For a few moments, Marcus is able to fully appreciate the wonder of his situation without worrying about his father. The bond between Marcus, Charlie, and their mother is highlighted in this quote.
“I take pictures as we drive because I want to document every step. Snap. The twisting roads along the highway. Snap. The old homes. Snap. The far-off mountain ranges. Snap. Snap. Snap. The jam-packed car. Snap. Snap. My brother staring out of the window. Snap. My mother’s gaze lost in the clouds. Snap.”
This quote, from the ride to Darma’s farm on Day Two in Sergio’s truck, captures the important role of the camera. Marcus is absorbing all the details of the countryside and the people he is traveling with, documenting them with photography while committing the emotions that accompany the images to memory. The repeated word “Snap” slows the narration, allowing time to pause and envision each scene that is being photographed.
“‘FINCA VEGA PIEDRA SIN AGUA NO AGUZA EN LA FRAGUA’ […] ‘Stone without water doesn’t sharpen in the forge’ […] what’s really being said is, ‘From nothing, nothing can come.’”
This is the sign above the gate to Darma’s farm, followed by Maria and Sergio’s rough translation. Marcus doesn’t understand the sign or give it much thought, but its meaning applies to more than just farming. Once Marcus meets his father, he realizes that there is nothing there—no relationship to build on. This phrase also applies to Marcus and his interactions at school. When Marcus finally opens up at school and talks to other students, he realizes that he can make friends and enjoy their company, something he was closed off to before the trip.
“Farms aren’t built, Marcus,’ my mom says […] ‘They grow after being cared for.’”
Melissa says this to Marcus in response to his suggestion that his father returned to Puerto Rico to build a farm. Throughout the narrative, farms are symbols of cultural identity and of family, as highlighted in this quote. Marcus’s father did not care for his boys. Therefore, he has excluded himself from the family unit. Marcus’s Puerto Rican family members, who clearly care deeply for him, grow during the trip from strangers to people whom he loves.
“Sometimes the necessary thing isn’t always the easiest.”
Darma had to shoot the cow that was sick, and she says these words to Marcus and Sergio when she returns. Marcus is horrified and doesn’t fully appreciate what Darma is telling him until he sees his father and realizes that he always takes the easiest option. Marcus repeats this quote to his father, correcting his father that no one understands him: “They do understand […] But they also know that sometimes the necessary thing isn’t always the easiest” (222).
“What is so bad about wanting things to come quickly? About never settling? Why don’t they just give him a chance? People assume that because I’m big, I’m going to cause harm. They don’t give me a chance. It’s all unfair.”
Marcus takes offense when Darma and Sergio imply that his father makes bad decisions. Marcus is still sure that his father is a good guy and draws from his own experience of being misunderstood to give him the benefit of the doubt. This quote is important because it shows Marcus’s determination to find the good in his father and underscores how much being harshly judged because of his size affects Marcus.
“You leave us at home most of the time, Mom. You come home late; You never have money. […] And now you come to Puerto Rico and you just want to ‘regroup’? Seriously? How do you expect us to regroup if when we go back everything will be the same?”
Marcus confronts his mother in this quote. His frustration at her apparent unwillingness to find his father boils over, and he spells out their problems clearly and succinctly. Marcus’s harsh but accurate analysis of their situation allows Melissa to understand how he feels.
“I dig out the rambutan fruit Sergio gave me. It’s not as bright orange as it was yesterday. It’s turned a little brown. I’m not ready to eat this thing.”
Marcus is back in the truck following his argument with Melissa. Food is used throughout the book to signify emotion, and in this quote the rambutan is like his mood and his hope: not as bright as before and turning dull. Marcus is not ready to eat the fruit, and he is not ready to fully appreciate the love and beauty around him because he remains fixated on his father. The inside of the rambutan is sweet and delicious, but he must get through its unappetizing exterior first. At the end of the trip, he is ready to eat the rambutan, and it tastes “delicious.”
“The water rises over the rock and tries to push it, but it can’t. That’s what I feel like most of the time. A rock constantly pushed by millions of drops of water and my brother is on the beach and I’m hoping the water doesn’t wet him.”
Marcus is on the beach at Pepe’s house, watching Charlie happily run around with the waves, which are rising over a large rock on the beach. Marcus likens himself to the rock in this quote; thus, the drops of water are his bullies, financial stress, leaky house, absent father, overworked mother, and fear that all these drops will overwhelm his ability to stop them from affecting Charlie. As Principal Jenkins said, Marcus sees himself as Charlie’s savior.
“We came all this way to talk to a guy who I thought was supposed to look like me. Maybe sound like me. Maybe even act like me. This guy sitting at the table looks nothing like I do. He looks like he would live in the Cherry Hill neighborhood. Like he would send his kids to the best private schools. Except he hasn’t.”
Marcus sees his father for the first time in 10 years and is shocked at how different he looks from both his ID photo and the mental image that Marcus nurtured. Throughout the narrative, Marcus compares himself to his father. He hopes that his father will be happy to see them and will explain the misunderstanding that caused their problems. When Marcus finally sees his father, he identifies the selfish man that everyone warned him about, not the man from his imagination.
“Angela, Hilda, Maria, Sergio, my mom, and Charlie surround me. They hug me and stay close. Now I know what Danny and those other kids must feel when I walk them. Protected.”
Just before this quote, Marcus and Charlie tell their father what they think of him, and Marcus hands back his father’s ID, putting him “away forever.” They join Sergio, Maria, and the twins outside. Marcus finally feels safe and secure within this group, without his father, and he now understands what he brings to Danny and the other people at school: a feeling of safety and security, not fear. He begins to revise his self-image from monster to protector.
“My mom knew all along. She knew my dad would be that way. Everyone did. My mom knew he had moved on to another life long ago. But she also knew that I needed to go. Darma helped her understand that. […] Darma is tough and really smart. And she’s real. I like that.”
Marcus’s thoughts as they leave his father’s hotel are captured in this quote. Rather than feeling angry or upset, he has a deeper understanding of his mother and a new respect for Darma. Marcus knows that there was no misunderstanding; his father chose to leave them because he didn’t want to deal with his children or his life in Springfield. Now Marcus can also move on with his life, surrounded by family who care for him and Charlie.
“No bad spots, I think. Just doors that needed to be closed and new ones I’m so glad we opened.”
When Melissa says she is sorry that Marcus had to experience “one bad spot”—meeting his father again—Marcus thinks these words. His appreciation of his “new” family outweighs his disappointment in his father, and Marcus feels that he is returning home emotionally richer and with a new sense of belonging.
“At first I assume they’re scurrying out of fear. But what if I have it wrong? Maybe they’re just trying to get to class. I thought of myself as a monster because that’s what I was told I was. But I’m not. I’m just big. And that’s not a bad thing.”
Marcus is back at school and is starting to see things differently. This quote shows that Marcus is letting go of his long-held assumptions that other people are always negatively judging him. Marcus was accepted and loved in Puerto Rico, and he is finally able to accept himself.
“‘I am from here, like the coqui.’ From Puerto Rico. He belongs somewhere. I’ve been feeling the same way. I won’t be croaking songs into the night like the tiny little frogs do. But it’s nice to feel like I’m finally part of something that’s way bigger than me.”
The first part of the quote is from the book the Charlie bought at the airport. It refers to the author and the tiny frogs, coqui, that Marcus hears throughout their trip. The coqui symbolize belonging, singing their joy at being part of Puerto Rico. Back in Springfield, Marcus thinks about the coqui and his Puerto Rican heritage, and he knows that, like them, he is permanently connected to the island.
By Pablo Cartaya
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