Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Mrs. Gorf is the first character at Wayside School whom readers meet, and she is the first obstacle the students must overcome. She is a complete villain with no redeeming traits. Not only does she not enjoy teaching, but she is cruel to the students and unconcerned about their learning or wellbeing. She is feared by the students and these fears are quickly validated as she carries out her threats, turning the entire class, one by one, into apples. Sachar subverts the trope of students gifting their teacher an apple. In this way, the apple is a key symbol that represents the hypocrisy of disingenuous educators.

Mrs. Gorf is an archetype of the traditional “wicked witch” character. Indeed, that she has magical powers—executed by wiggling her ears and twitching her nose—solidifies this trope while making Mrs. Gorf a force whom the students have no hope of overcoming. That her name is “frog” backward subtly plays on the absurdist “backward” nature of Wayside School. The students are only able to defeat Mrs. Gorf when they use her evil power against her. Jenny holds up a mirror (another classic fairy tale object) and tricks Mrs. Gorf into turning herself into an apple. Louis comically eats Mrs. Gorf, an act that appears just within the context of the story.

In an absurdist twist, however, Mrs. Gorf returns in the penultimate chapter. She manifests to seek revenge, which aligns with her characterization as evil and vindictive. Mrs. Jewls is powerless against Mrs. Gorf, who has no respect for Mrs. Jewls’s authority. In a surprise turn of events, Stephen feels a camaraderie toward Mrs. Gorf for proving him right despite the majority view. This is the only instance of any fellowship shown toward Mrs. Gorf. It is fitting that Stephen’s hug—a gesture of affection—proves harmful to her. As the class is again rid of her, Stephen becomes a kind of unexpected hero. The stories involving Mrs. Gorf thematically highlight The Importance of Community and Social Norms. In both cases, the students unite against a common foe, their wicked teacher.

Louis is the “yard teacher,” or playground supervisor. He is also the focus of the book’s final chapter, in which readers learn that he is the author of the book. A key postmodern element in the story is Sachar’s presentation of Louis as both a character and the novel’s author. Louis is described as having a “red face and a moustache of many colors” (154), an appropriate trait for the absurd environment of Wayside. He performs basic tasks that any authority figure at a school would, but he also kindly assists the students in any way he can.

In some respects, Louis is a source of wisdom for the students and functions as a mentor. He is responsible for unwittingly ridding the class of Mrs. Gorf by eating her in apple form, though he is not aware of the role he has played. After the students convince Mrs. Gorf to transform them back into children from apples, they seek out Louis: “[L]et’s go get Louis. He’ll know what to do.” (6). However, some students ignore or disregard Louis’s advice or well-meaning questions, and the respective chapters end with Louis being bit (Rondi) or punched (Ron). The students regard him both as an authority figure and peer. Indeed, Louis himself blurs this line by participating in the students’ recess games. He sometimes functions to highlight a student’s ill-deeds or to turn the student’s attempts at manipulation against themselves. For instance, he kicks Terrence over the fence when Terrence implores to Louis, “Let me have it” (136). In this example, Terrence presumes “it” to mean the ball, but the students and Louis interpret “it” to mean Terrence’s comeuppance.

Louis is often instrumental in fueling the absurd circumstances that occur in the book. His comical solutions support the theme of Absurdity Versus Reality. For example, he offers to buy Leslie’s toes from her when she laments that she has no use for them. He further confuses Calvin—who cannot determine how to deliver the nonexistent note—with his double-talk. Similarly, he praises Rondi for her “cute front teeth,” a nonsensical compliment that she interprets as torment. Similarly, Louis’s insistence that the “normal” students and the Wayside students both deem one another to be “strange and silly” furthers the absurdist theme, calling into question what is real and what is not.