Small as an Elephant

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2011

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-25

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Effects of Unstable Attachment on Children

Attachment between a parent and child begins before the child is even born and is in many ways shaped by a child’s early years. Jack’s experiences of parenthood have always been unstable, unpredictable, and at times neglectful and abusive. As a result, Jack developed an anxious attachment to his mother, and he reacts with both distress and anger to her frequent absences. Additionally, Jack experiences denial and tells himself that his mother will come back, tells others that she’s just sick, and makes excuses for her leaving. Jack knows that when his mother comes back after leaving, “he’d be so mad, and at the same time so relieved, that he’d start to cry” (21).

Jack needs his mother and wants her there because he loves her, but he’s dismayed that she can’t seem to parent him like other parents do. Jack looks at families like Aiden’s and feels a jealous longing for a life he doesn’t have. He knows that he shouldn’t have to take care of himself but has no way of changing that situation, because he believes that the world is out to separate him from his mother. Jack knows that love isn’t always enough, which is a difficult lesson to learn at any age but is especially hard on a child who needs and deserves unconditional support.

Jack’s actions, emotions, and thoughts consistently display the effects of his unstable attachment to his mother. He bottles up frustration and fear until it spills out in huge bursts. Thus, Jack resembles his mother, and while he doesn’t have her illness, he does have some of the impulsiveness and anger that she displays. He feels that he must be strong and brave and must take care of himself despite his age. In addition, Jack mistrusts his grandmother because of things his mother said about her and, consequently, misses out for many years on an opportunity for a moral stable life. For days, Jack endures hardship and refuses to ask for help, speak out, or contact anyone about what’s going on. He’s genuinely surprised when people offer their support, especially Sylvie, whom he expects to turn him in. In the process, he risks his safety and his health, living in a constant state of panic and exhaustion. Only when Jack talks to Big Jack, who has been through similar experiences, does Jack understand why he feels the way he does, and only then does he see those around him with a newfound clarity. This clarity enables Jack to accept changes to allow for his mother to get the care she needs to heal.

A Child’s Ability to Endure Tremendous Hardship

Jack has a profound ability to endure hardship as he goes through a period of trial and turmoil after being abandoned by his mother. He’s 11 years old but in many ways thinks and acts with the resources and courage of someone much older. His mother often neglects him because of her illness, and as a result, Jack is accustomed to taking care of himself, talking himself out of problems and emotional panic, and relying on his intuition and experience. Although Jack resents not having a mother who can take care of him properly, he comes to realize that she has helped him become independent and strong. Jack often must be more like an adult than a child and has few moments when he gets to just play and be a kid.

Jack has to worry about much more than a child in a typical family does, both before and after his mother abandons him. While Jack was still with his mother, he constantly worried about upsetting her or being left while she dealt with an episode. He often had to take care of his mother, rather than the other way around, and was at many times embarrassed by her behavior. When Becky leaves, Jack legitimately worries if she’ll even return at all. From then on, he has to worry about food, shelter, his own safety, and navigating a new environment. He seems to always be dealing with one problem or another. When Jack does think about reuniting with his mother, he knows he’ll feel a mixture of anger and relief, but the longer he’s away from her, the more the relief fades away into just anger.

Jack endures experiences on his own that many adults would fear to attempt themselves, like sleeping in the woods in just a sleeping bag, stowing away in the back of a truck, and eating out of the garbage. He does what he has to do out of a feeling of necessity to protect himself, his mother, and their bond. Jack sees the world through the eyes of one who, though just 11 years old, has experienced more than many adults. He takes it upon himself to attempt to walk home to Boston and, when that fails, sets his mind on seeing Lydia. Although Jack is still small, he resembles the largest mammal on earth, the elephant, in several ways: He’s courageous, taking on much more than most others could handle; he’s intelligent, solving complex problems to survive the many challenges he faces; he’s sensitive and displays empathy toward others; and he’s fiercely loyal, protecting those he loves and never forgetting those who show him kindness.

Sources of Unlikely Support in Trying Times

Jack’s mother leaves him on his own in a new place when he’s only 11 years old. Although he’s intelligent, courageous, and strong, Jack couldn’t have survived without the help of the many unlikely sources of support that he encounters along the way. Jack receives support not only from people he meets, but also from some he never meets at all. In addition, Jack finds support in his plastic toy elephant because of his love for elephants and because of its status as a consistent presence in his unpredictable life.

For most of his journey, Jack feels totally alone. He can’t trust anyone, he feels the need to keep his situation a secret, and he doesn’t want to ask for help while also being reluctant to receive help offered to him. Although Jack feels this way, reality contradicts his feelings, and he realizes this in the story’s conclusion:

All along the way, Jack realized, he had never really been alone. He had been part of a makeshift herd, one that spread out over miles. They had communicated with heart sounds that were sometimes so soft, they weren’t always discernible to the ear. But they had found one another, and they had helped one another, just like a true herd (274).

While he’s initially angry at people like Nina and his grandmother for seemingly trying to separate him from his mother, he eventually realizes that they were only trying to help him. In addition, Jack finds support in people he meets during his ordeal, like Big Jack, Sylvie, and Mrs. Olson. Everyone that Jack is trying to run from is in truth trying to help him, and this conflict between Jack’s perception and reality propels the story.

Jack names his plastic elephant “Mudo” (which Big Jack told him means “thank you” in a Ghanian language called Ewe) to symbolize his newfound gratitude and clarity in perception. Jack’s toy elephant is a source of support during his time on his own because Jack’s passion is elephants. He knows all sorts of things about them, and his main focus is on meeting Lydia. Jack holds the elephant whenever he needs to find courage or calm himself down, and he pulls it out and looks at it when he’s trying to relax and fall asleep at night. While Jack has no idea what the next day or even next hour might hold, he can rely on his toy elephant, and on everything he knows about elephants, to keep himself going.