41 pages • 1 hour read
Judy BlumeTales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “My Brother the Bird”
Peter enjoys playing in Central Park, and he is allowed to do so as long as he is not alone. This rule was enacted after Jimmy Fargo and Mr. Hatcher were both mugged several times. Fudge enjoys riding his Toddle-Bike through Central Park on Sundays, when no vehicles are allowed in the area.
Jimmy Fargo and Peter plan to spend an afternoon playing on a special group of rocks where they “play secret agent” (32). They are horrified to find their neighbor and classmate, Sheila, awaiting their arrival. Sheila teases Peter constantly and accuses him of having “cooties” (31). The boys ask her to leave, but she refuses.
Fudge runs down the path after a bird, and his exhausted mother tries to catch him. Sheila begs Mrs. Hatcher to allow her to watch Fudge. Realizing that she must return home to turn on the oven, Mrs. Hatcher agrees to allow Sheila to watch Fudge for 10 minutes; however, she insists that Peter and Jimmy help her. It is agreed that the group will bring Fudge to the playground. Upon their arrival, Sheila creates a distraction by teasing Peter about cooties again. Concurrently, Fudge climbs to the top of the jungle gym and falls to the ground. He is bleeding profusely, and Jimmy notices that his top front teeth are missing. Sheila cries when Peter reminds her that she was in charge of Fudge; Peter tries to clean the child with a handkerchief while Sheila conducts an unsuccessful search for the missing teeth. When Mrs. Hatcher arrives, she tells Sheila that it was an accident and that nobody would blame her. Upon their arrival home, Peter’s mother tells him, “I’m disgusted with you!” (39), since Fudge was hurt while under his care. He protests that Sheila was in charge and his mother should not be angry with him.
Peter stays in his bedroom and confides his troubles to Dribble. He fantasizes that perhaps he is not his mother’s real son but was left in a basket on her doorstep. He eats very little dinner and has a fitful sleep. The following morning, his mother comes into his room to apologize. She admits that she was “very upset over Fudge’s accident and I had to blame somebody. So I picked on you” (40). Furthermore, she says that the incident could have occurred even if she had been in the playground with Fudge. After they both laugh at the fact that Fudge was hurt while trying to fly like a bird, Peter knows that “she was my real mom after all” (40).
Chapter 4 Analysis
This chapter begins with Peter, a fourth grader, providing a very worldly narrative regarding the dangers of being mugged in Central Park, as well as a recounting of his father’s advice as to how to behave as a victim. Peter does not express particular apprehension about the possibility of becoming the victim of a crime; he accepts this as a reality of city living and notes the number of “dope-pushers” who frequent the park. Peter is also sophisticated enough to realize that the reason his friend Jimmy Fargo can imitate a variety of foreign accents is that his father is a professional actor and college instructor. This evokes a degree of worldliness that would be unusual in a less urbane group of children.
Sheila’s unwanted attentions annoy Peter terribly. It seems that Sheila, desperate for any sort of reaction from Peter, resorts to teasing, insulting, and harassing him, although this is probably stems from nascent, affectionate feelings on her part. Her determination to gain Peter’s attention results in her lack of attention to Fudge, whom she has promised to watch while Mrs. Hatcher runs a quick errand.
Finally, the idea of inequitable treatment of children by an overwhelmed parent is addressed. Mrs. Hatcher is overwhelmed and terrified upon seeing Fudge injured. She absolves Sheila of all responsibility but is enraged at Peter for allowing the mishap to occur. Peter realizes that this is an irrational response; he is hurt and angry as a result. This exemplifies a child’s budding realization that his or her parents are merely human and often fallible. Mrs. Hatcher’s apology and willingness to admit that she sought to blame someone for the incident, and singled Peter out unfairly, exemplifies a healing moment in their relationship.
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By Judy Blume
