42 pages • 1 hour read
Gary D. SchmidtOrbiting Jupiter
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 8-9
Chapter 8 Summary
The librarian follows through on her promise to write Joseph every week. His mood improves, and Jack notices that Joseph is sleeping better, too. The teachers at school give Joseph more responsibility. In February, Jack, Joseph, and Mr. Hurd extract syrup from trees, and Mr. Hurd suggests that Jupiter will be able to join them in the activity one day.
The days start to warm. The boys return home from school one day to find a new truck waiting at the house. Jack goes to the barn as Joseph goes inside, but the sounds of shouting from the kitchen draws Jack into the house. As he runs in, Jack bumps into Mr. Brook, who is holding a gun. Brook pulls Jack close and demands that Joseph get into his truck. Mr. Hurd refuses to let Joseph go, but Joseph decides to walk out of the house with his father. As Mr. Brook and Joseph leave the farm, Mr. Hurd calls the police.
As he flees, Mr. Brook runs his truck into Mr. Canton’s car. He tries to drive his truck over the closed Alliance River bridge, and the bridge collapses. Mr. Brook and Joseph plunge into the cold river. Authorities don’t recover their bodies for two days.
Jack attends Joseph’s funeral along with his parents and many of the school’s teachers, including Mr. Canton. The Hurds have Joseph buried near other deceased members of their family. At the service, the reverend repeats the question Joseph asked him about angels: “Where the hell were they?” (178).
Chapter 9 Summary
On the day that Joseph would have turned 16, Mrs. Stroud visits the Hurd farm with Jupiter. Jack plays with the young girl, who calls him “Jackie” just as Joseph did. The Hurds plan to adopt Jupiter, making Jack her new older brother.
Chapters 8-9 Analysis
Several incidents have symbolic meanings that enhance the reader’s understanding of the events that take place in these final chapters of the novel. For example, the freezing of maple syrup in the snow was a ritual during Joseph’s time with his mother, and one he repeated with Maddie just before they conceived Jupiter. When Mr. Hurd and the boys work with the maple syrup in February, the activity echoes the times in Joseph’s past that are most important to him. As well, Joseph’s decision to leave with his father, which means that he gives up his own life to save Jack, parallels the story of Jesus’s crucifixion in Christian faith. Christians celebrate the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus in a springtime holiday, Easter; the cycle of seasons is a significant symbol. The weather grows warmer as spring approaches, which represents rebirth, but Mr. Brook’s arrival subverts the expectations of the season.
Previous chapters foreshadow several elements of Joseph’s death. Jack tells readers about the dangerous bridge over the Alliance in the first chapter, and Joseph falls through the river’s thin ice in the second. While the incident doesn’t permanently harm Joseph, it prompts Jack to remember the dog that drowns under the ice when Jack was a child. The dog’s death is strikingly similar to Joseph’s; both fall through the ice and disappear. As well, the presence of Mr. Canton makes for another parallel between the two incidents. After Joseph’s first fall into the Alliance, Mr. Canton arrives to take Jack and Joseph back to the Hurd farm. This time, Mr. Brook’s truck hits Mr. Canton’s car before swerving onto the bridge. While Mr. Canton is not directly responsible for Joseph’s death, he never trusted Joseph the way other adults learned to do. The two adults who do not respect Joseph are both involved in his death.
Both Joseph’s funeral and Jupiter’s arrival at the Hurd farm a year after Joseph’s death brings many of Orbiting Jupiter’s themes full circle. Joseph’s funeral is religious in nature, bringing together the people whose lives most impacted Joseph. The Hurds adopt Jupiter in the spring, a warmer season that represents rebirth. Jupiter calls Jack the same name Joseph called him: “Jackie.” Jack accepts the nickname from Jupiter, which he refused to do when Joseph was alive. Jack’s acceptance symbolizes Jack’s growth as a character, signifying his ability to take care of Jupiter.
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By Gary D. Schmidt
