Shouting at the Rain

“Grammy’s always saying that when people throw rocks, you can either build walls or bridges. Grammy has always been a bridge builder.”

This quote speaks to two themes: The Importance of Friendship and Family as well as The Importance of Changing Perspective. Grammy excels both at bringing people together and thinking the best of them. Olive can be a difficult person, but Grammy reaches out to her regardless, recognizing that she needs and deserves connection.

“We are all jerks inside. And kind. And smart. We are all thoughtful and inconsiderate. We are all polite and rude. We are all everything.”

Madam Schofield’s assertion that people contain many attributes and capabilities—even contradictory ones—foreshadows much of the novel. For instance, it anticipates Delsie’s musings on having many feelings at once, as well as Tessa’s unexpected gift of the kitten to Delsie at the end of the novel.

“When the waves are rolling in, my friends are the jetties.”

This is one of many points at which Delsie reflects on the value of friendship. The use of a nature metaphor also gives the reader insight into Delsie’s close relationship with the sea and natural world of the cape; it permeates her thought processes.

“But there is something you must remember about those feelings deep down inside. They come from your soul, and they’re a precious thing. They should be saved for the ones who’ll be cradling them like a new baby. You don’t hand them off to just anyone. The ones that love you protect your feelings because they’ve been given a piece of you. Others may toss them around for just the same reason.”

Grammy warns Delsie about spending time with Brandy and Tressa, who “toss […] around” her feelings rather than protect and treasure them. This quote anticipates Delsie’s gradual realization that she has true friends and needs to surround herself with people who care about her rather than the actively cruel Tressa and meek Brandy.

“And I look at a bright blue sky and where it touches the ocean, and I hear a voice tell me that I don’t belong anywhere. Not with anyone.”

Delsie reflects on the motif of wholeness versus brokenness. Her inner voice, which has also warned her of Brandy’s abandonment and Tressa’s cruelty, now tells her that she does not “belong anywhere.” This passage exemplifies Delsie’s increasing frustration over her abandonment by both her mother and her friend.

“And [I am] wondering what I should do next and remembering that Grammy says you should always follow your heart. But it doesn’t seem smart to follow something that is broken.”

For the first time in the novel, Delsie labels herself broken due to her abandonment. This quote reflects the importance of perspective and how it colors self-perception, as Delsie’s view of herself as inherently flawed keeps her from “follow[ing] her heart.”

“It isn’t the tea, Delsie. It’s that tea is so often shared. That’s when friends lean forward and look each other in the eye. They laugh. They do more than hear; they listen. They connect, and anything that matters in this whole…wide…world is about connection. It’s what makes all the hard stuff I talk about bearable.”

Esme discusses the significance of her “nourishing tea,” which she shares with the suffering Delsie. Esme’s emphasis on connecting with others develops the theme of the importance of friendship and family.

“Grammy is right. Holding his things makes me ache with the missing of him—and I understand what she meant about being sad when she sees them. But I feel more than that—the memories make me happy, too. I like thinking about him, and I’m happy that he was my papa. The happy and sad are like two hands clasped together. I wish I could share these feelings with Grammy.”

This passage emphasizes the Grammy’s and Delsie’s different perspectives on memory. While Grammy tries to avoid painful memories, Delsie desires to confront them, and she realizes that she can feel both happy and sad when remembering Papa Joseph--an example of The Complexity of Human Emotions and Character.

“Everything hurts from shoving away all this stuff that makes me sad inside. I want to blast her, but she already looks broken. I want to tell her I’m not her girl. I’m my mother’s girl. And that it’s her fault that I’ll never be anyone’s daughter. Ever. I want to hurt her, this Grammy I love so much.”

This passage marks the apex of the conflict between Delsie and Grammy: Delsie is desperate to learn more about Mellie, while Grammy wants to avoid the pain associated with talking about her. It also develops the theme of the importance of friendship and family by emphasizing the difficulty of having an absent family member. Finally, it reveals Delsie’s complicated feelings: She loves Grammy, but in this moment, she is so angry that she feels like hurting her.

“‘Listen […] You can either stay there while they throw shovelfuls of sand on you or just climb out. Your choice. Not theirs.’

Then I head toward the stairs, not even looking back at Brandy or Tressa. And it feels really good to step away from the shovels of sand they’ve been throwing on me for weeks and finally climb out of the hole.”

Delsie finally decides to step away from Brandy and Tressa. This point marks a turning point in Delsie’s character development, as she realizes that she needs to separate herself from people who do not care about her. As she says to the girl whose friends are burying her, she needs to stand up for herself and not allow herself to be abused.

“Friendship is like boogie boarding. You have to learn when to hold on and when to let go.”

Delsie has difficulty letting go of Brandy’s friendship. However, she realizes that when a supposed friend is not respecting her feelings, it is time to end the relationship.

“We’ll just wait for nature. She put us in this predicament and will help get us out. No use shouting at the rain.”

Delsie and Ronan panic when they find that the Reel of Fortune, Henry’s fishing boat, was beached, but Henry realizes that they can do little until nature cooperates and allows them to bring the boat back into the water. This passage reveals the significance of the book’s title, as in context Henry means that there is no point getting upset at something that one cannot control.

“I’ve learned a lot this summer. One thing is that when you’re hurt, it means you care. So, here is a question for you. If I’m not hurt, what does that mean?”

Ronan’s remark to Tressa is another example of the importance of perspective. Choosing not to let Tressa’s bullying upset him robs her of her power.

“‘A good cook knows you can’t go turning up the heat because you’re impatient; you gotta let it simmer. Take its time. Let all of those flavors come into their own. Because if you rush it…well, it won’t satisfy. But…’ She leans forward. ‘If you cook it just right, folks can’t shake the memory of it and long for another taste. That’s what brings them back.’”

Saucepan Lynn’s explanation of how remembering the taste of her food draws people back to her restaurant also applies to Delsie and Grammy’s struggles with memory when thinking of Papa Joseph and Mellie. The complexity of those memories, which involve both grief and joy, makes them worth keeping.

“I think that when I look at Olive from now on, I’ll see a lot of different things. Like instead of just a plain scoop of cold ice cream, a scoop with some chocolate chips hidden inside.”

After Delsie realizes that Olive is sad about the deaths of her family members and friends, she realizes that Olive is more complicated than she appears. This is an important development for Delsie and contributes to her changing perspective, as she realizes that people cannot be judged on appearances alone.

“He was the one who told me a man is not made by his mistakes. He’s made by what he does about them.”

Henry explains how Papa Joseph gave him a second chance after his imprisonment. This quote touches on the complexity of human character, as sometimes people make mistakes totally out of keeping with their personality and lifestyle. Even then, however, people have the choice to learn from their mistakes and grow.

“As I wash the dirt from the jar, I think about how, like a seed in the ground, burying made things grow. But not in a good way. Just like how not talking about things can make stuff feel like a bigger problem, and even more confusing.”

As Delsie unearths the jar of Papa Joseph’s and Mellie’s treasures to keep Grammy from selling them, she realizes that burying feelings and the truth only complicates matters. Grammy suppressed her emotions and kept the truth about Mellie secret, but speaking frankly to Delsie about Mellie and learning to view her family members’ treasures with both sadness and happiness has improved both Delsie’s and Grammy’s lives.

“You know, Delsie, you have a lot in common with your mom […] But you have one big difference […] She always waited for ships to come in, but you swim out to them […] She waited for things to come to her. You chase them down.”

Henry tells Delsie that unlike Mellie, she is determined to seek what she wants and take action. The remark validates Delsie’s strength of character and willingness to take charge of her own life.

“That night, I crawl into bed, stare at the lucky penny, and think about all the things that make me lucky.

There’s Ronan. But then again, having him as a friend isn’t pure luck; it’s because we gave each other a chance. And soon he’s going to be my neighbor. I can’t think of anything that’s ever happened that has made me so happy. Ronan and his dad living right across from us. It’s like a rainstorm after a drought—and I didn’t even know a friendship like his was missing till I found it.”

This passage reflects Delsie’s growth as a character and her related change of perspective. Like Delsie’s grandfather giving Henry another chance after his imprisonment, it affirms the importance of giving people second chances, even if on the surface they appear questionable.

“Like, all these things have to happen inside us at the same time and mix together just right, and you get angry. So angry you can’t sort through it all. And the same goes for wind. Lots of things that have to happen just right, with the earth moving underneath making it harder for the wind to stay in its patterns. And you really can’t see wind. You can only see how it moves everything around it. And anger is like that, too.”

This passage emphasizes that it is normal to feel complicated and mysterious emotions. Delsie compares emotional upheaval to weather and the unseen forces that cause wind.

“But it turns out…I can stop myself. If I stop to think. Feeling mad doesn’t mean I can’t control what I do. I used to use being angry like it was an excuse. Like it wasn’t my fault. But I can stop myself. And it feels good.”

Ronan realizes after hitting a child that he can contain his temper and regulate his emotions. This feeling of being able to control himself is liberating rather than restrictive and marks significant character growth for Ronan.

“The people in our neighborhood will always eat in places like Saucepan Lynn’s. And I like it that way. Grammy will never go for pedicures or enjoy shopping for pretty dresses. She’s probably always going to cut her hair over the sink instead of going to a fancy parlor. But none of that stuff says a thing about her. Not the things that matter. I’m going to stop thinking about the ways I wish Grammy were different and love her for who she is, just as she loves me.”

Delsie’s realization contrasts with earlier scenes in the novel in which Delsie envies Brandy for getting mani-pedis with her mother and feels self-conscious of Grammy’s casual behavior in front of Brandy and Tressa. Delsie has grown to realize that she should appreciate these aspects of Grammy and accept her for herself.

“My gaze moves across the faces of my neighbors—and I think how every one of them has helped me in some way this summer. And I realize what I’ve always known—that family isn’t really about blood and having the same last name. It’s made by the people who love you. Who worry about you and champion you. Who take one look at you and know when you need a talk over that nourishing tea.”

Delsie’s realization that family involves more than blood suggests that family and friendship can be interwoven. Her mention of nourishing tea is significant, as nourishing tea symbolizes love and connections between loved ones.