The Benefits of Being an Octopus

“[A]ctually, ‘octopuses’ is correct. You don’t have to say ‘octopi’ if you don’t want to.”

This oft-cited passage is an example of Zoey asserting her knowledge despite popular beliefs. The plural form “octopi” uses the Latin plural ending -i for singular masculine words of Latin origin, like alumnus/alumni. This older formation of the plural for octopus isn’t wrong, and some might consider it a higher or more educated style, but this isn’t necessarily true. As octopus is a commonly used English word—unlike alumnus, which is used in a specialized educational context—it’s appropriate to form the plural for octopus as octopuses, using the English -es plural ending. This passage exemplifies the theme that in education—and in life—there’s often more than one right answer.

“Why are clean pans more important than a functioning fuse box? It’s been a long time since my mom made any sense.”

When the novel begins, Zoey doesn’t understand her mother’s motivation to prioritize what seems like an insignificant task—scraping the burnt grime off Lenny’s pan—over an urgent situation: investigating the cause of their trailer’s power outage. Zoey isn’t yet aware that Lenny verbally and psychologically abuses her mother, causing Kara to anticipate his expectations and act to avoid his wrath. Once Zoey recognizes Lenny’s behavior for what it is, she understands her mother’s actions and uses Lenny’s psychology against him to help them escape.

“[When Silas and I] reach the bus stop—it’s packed with kids older than us and who look a whole lot less grimy than I do […].”

Zoey understands how she and Silas appear to others. Not only are the kids older, but they’ve come from the suburbs, not the trailer park. This is the first instance in which Zoey reveals her inferiority complex and is the starting point for her journey toward gaining self-confidence.

“Octopuses can squish their bodies down to no bigger than a crumpled-up bag of chips. By the time Ms. Rochambeau gets to my desk I might as well be that balled-up bag, with all the chip bits eaten, ready to be tossed into the trash.”

This passage exemplifies the author’s rich use of metaphors to enhance her storytelling. Zoey begins with her favorite point of comparison, the octopus. Another layer of imagery appears as Zoey compares the octopus’s ability to compress its body to a crumpled bag of chips. She then expands on the bag-of-chips metaphor to create a vivid image that incorporates sight, smell, sound, texture, and taste. Additionally, we gain insight into Zoey’s world; food is scarce, so she’d eat a bag of chips down to the last crumb. She may feel shame about that—and imagining herself crumpling down like the empty bag expresses not only her fear of confronting Ms. Rochambeau but also the shame and regret she feels about her circumstances.

“Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they’ve got to do.”

Here, Zoey reflects on the school experiences she’d like to have versus the reality of her life. She describes activities that many consider normal for a seventh grader but understands that her circumstances prevent her from doing those things. Zoey’s growth arc, which Ms. Rochambeau initiates, challenges this belief until Zoey realizes that even though her life includes extra responsibilities, she can prioritize her schoolwork and social life.

“But as soon as I try to imagine what I would say, I can’t remember anything. Everything has cleared out. It’s like peering into an empty apartment the day after you’ve been evicted.”

Zoey’s bringing her completed debate packet to school represents her first attempt to change her narrative. She proves that she wants to—and can—complete her homework, but she still fears presenting because of her feelings of socioeconomic inferiority. The image that she conjures reinforces that her fear is class-based; the image of the empty apartment is most likely a memory. In addition, the image foreshadows the threat of eviction that she and Fuchsia both face as the novel progresses.

“‘Principal Fitzgerald, teachers, staff, my fellow classmates,’ […]. ‘Thank you for this opportunity to speak. I’ll keep it short, since I know there are more people that need to give speeches after me, and there’s only so long you can listen to people talk about themselves.’”

This is the beginning of Matt Hubbard’s speech for student council president. The speech is perspicacious for a seventh grader and shows maturity and humor. Zoey marvels at Matt’s calm, confident delivery and realizes that she’ll never be like him. Matt later admits to Zoey that his mother wrote the speech for him because he wanted the teachers and other kids to like it. Matt has his own inferiority complex, and his need to be liked drives him to be the top achiever and the most popular kid in class. In their final interaction, Zoey gives Matt life advice and learns that he’s a human with faults, no better or worse than she is.

“There’s something about Bryce that’s not-exactly-Bryce recently. He’s stopped asking about a cat, and there was all that extra lightsaber whacking this morning.”

Zoey notices that Bryce’s behavior has become less playful and more violent. She doesn’t yet realize that the change is an effect of Bryce’s living around Lenny’s abusive behavior. Immediately after this observation, Zoey opts to put Bryce’s soiled Star Wars shirt in the laundry instead of her own clothes, hoping to help him feel better. When they move in with Fuchsia, Bryce discovers Jane Kitty, and his playfulness returns. He still has nightmares, but being away from Lenny’s harmful influence provides hope for Bryce to recover.

“‘[T]hat teacher wasn’t a fan of hunting.’ Silas shakes his head. ‘If he eats meat he sure isn’t thinking about where it comes from.’”

In this passage, Silas recounts a teacher’s reaction when he found a shotgun in Silas’s father’s pickup truck. Silas’s remark shows that he understands the hypocrisy of eating meat while holding an anti-hunting point of view. The comment points to the cultural clash that fuels suspicion of Silas as the parking lot shooter.

“[I] don’t care that Ms. Rochambeau raises her eyebrows when she picks up my worksheet and it’s blank. I’m here, aren’t I? No one can force me to do more than that.”

Before Zoey realizes that she has the power of self-determination, the only agency she feels is her ability to refuse. This mentality weighs on Zoey as she becomes conflicted about wanting to participate in debate club. Knowing that she has much to offer but feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities, Zoey begins to realize that just showing up isn’t enough.

“But you do have a choice. You make choices every day, and maybe you can’t see how they could affect your future, but they do.”

Zoey faces a direct counter to her opting-out mentality. Ms. Rochambeau makes Zoey question her previously held beliefs because she realizes that Zoey wants more for herself but doesn’t think she has the power to attain it. When Zoey sits at the teacher’s desk and sees her life from a different point of view, she reluctantly begins to consider new possibilities.

“[W]hen someone is doing the best they can, you don’t tell them to suck it up. The right thing to do is buy them coffee yogurt.”

This passage references Ms. Rochambeau’s advice to Zoey about how she can change her life. “Suck it up” is the advice that Ms. Rochambeau said made a difference in her life and allowed her to pursue an education and career against the odds. Zoey is already emotionally fragile and feels that Ms. Rochambeau should have offered her comfort, like her mother did when she bought the kids their favorite coffee yogurt, instead of posing yet another challenge.

“My old mom was confident before, but it wasn’t enough. Her confidence has been sucked out of her, and she’s been left bone dry.”

Gaining confidence is Zoey’s main challenge and the goal of her character arc. Throughout the novel, Zoey compares her mother’s behavior now to her behavior in the past, when Kara was much more confident, capable, and self-sufficient. This moment comes after Zoey realizes that Lenny is intentionally discrediting Kara’s explanations. From this point onward, Zoey feels differently about her mother and realizes that Kara’s actions don’t stem from weakness but from a desire to protect her family.

“The ‘resolution’ for the sample debate was that ‘Fair governments should require employers to pay a living wage,’ and I kind of have an opinion on that. Like I keep waiting for the paper to talk about how amazing it’d feel if your family didn’t need to fill out that government form for an EBT card. And if you had enough money to buy new underwear as soon as you need it.”

Zoey’s insight into the real-world consequences of the debate topics exceeds that of her classmates, who only ask about which examples to highlight in the study guide. Zoey intelligently connects her family’s difficult circumstances to larger issues in society and is surprised that the paper doesn’t take these into consideration. Later, Kyla, an African American student, expresses similar views about the connection between the gun ownership debate and police brutality. The implication is that the difficulties that oppressed populations face gives them insight into social issues that privileged populations often overlook.

“I’ve started doing what Kyla does—writing lots of stuff down—and it seems like people do take you more seriously when you do that.”

In debate club, Zoey learns the behaviors of successful students. At first, she only mimics these behaviors without internalizing how they help her learn. This is partly because Zoey can take notes in her head, a skill that shows intellectual sophistication but looks like non-participation from the outside. Even Zoey doesn’t yet see the value of intellect until others point it out to her.

“‘I mean, he never talks, right?’ Brendan continues. ‘He could totally be one of those mass murderers that you hear about when they interview the neighbors and they’re like ‘Oh, he was always quiet. Never thought he’d do something like this.”’

After the school shooting, one of Zoey’s classmates voices the popular opinion that Silas was the shooter. Brendan’s comment is a sad reminder that serial murders and school shootings are so common in the US that they have a script. Brendan’s assessment of Silas is based on a stereotype, and he then refers to the oblivious community members who failed to recognize an individual’s dangerous behavior.

“I help Aurora jump down the last step off the bus, and she suctions herself onto me. Future octopus.”

Zoey’s observation about Aurora signals that Aurora is trying to process stress just as Bryce is but in a different way. “Future octopus” means that Aurora has the potential to develop the same coping mechanisms as Zoey. Zoey doesn’t comment on whether this is good or bad, but her tone contains resignation, implying that Aurora’s future is already set.

“I look at [Kyla]. Really? Cops don’t kill people, do they?”

Despite Zoey’s awareness of society’s unfairness, as a white person, she doesn’t have Kyla’s insight into the realities of life for African Americans and other minorities in the US. Silas, who’s also white, describes the police as “nice enough” when he and his father go to the police station after the discovery of a gun in Silas’s father’s truck. The police even give Silas and his father a ride to the woods and return their gun so that they can go on their hunting trip. One wonders how that episode would have unfolded if Silas and his father had been Black. Though racialized violence isn’t a central idea in the novel, moments like this imply that racism and inequality remain beyond Zoey’s experience.

“What did I expect her to do when I confronted her? Just instantly go back to the determined, fearless mama bear she was when I was eight? Maybe she was never that different from how she is now. Maybe I was just too young to know better.”

After Kara dismisses Zoey’s evidence that Lenny purposefully hid the power company’s form, Zoey reflects on her expectations. For the first time, Zoey questions whether her view that Kara used to be more confident is realistic. Zoey suspects that her own perspective—rather than her mother’s capabilities—has changed. Zoey fears that if so, her efforts to make a change will be in vain.

“Bryce is hunched over the can opener, spinning it and spinning it and spinning it.”

In times of stress, Bryce exhibits compulsive, repetitive behavior. The author never clarifies whether Bryce is neurologically atypical, but Zoey is aware that repetitive actions have a calming effect on him. Even though Bryce’s behavior doesn’t have a label, it’s clear that he has experienced deep trauma and will need intervention to develop healthy emotional responses.

“For them it’s like an easy life is automatic, and when it’s not, they’re all ready to pour on righteous anger and think they can do something about it. Probably because they’re armed with more than a measly Q-tip. I picture myself with that imaginary Q-tip. Honestly, what else do I have going to bat for me? And then Ms. Rochambeau’s words burble up from inside me against my will. Suck it up.”

For most of the novel, Zoey comforts herself by fantasizing about how much easier others’ lives are than her own. These distracting thoughts allow her to believe that she isn’t to blame for her failures. Now, she realizes that feeling sorry for herself is an excuse.

“‘You need to wake up!’ […] ‘We’re not living in some sort of black-and-white pretend world. You act like it has to be all or nothing, like it’s some kind of game. But there are actual people dealing with this. Actual people who have to say goodbye to their kittens. Actual people who have to hide their phones in the closet. And it’s not a game to them!’”

Zoey’s words to the debate club as they begin to debate the issues of gun ownership are a pivotal passage. This is the first time that Zoey stands up and voices her opinion in front of her peers. Rather than taking a pro or con stance, she stresses the importance of acknowledging the real-life consequences of the debate. Zoey’s words are passionate and articulate. The reader realizes that Zoey has the power to verbalize her thoughts just as effectively as she does in her head. It’s an exciting moment when Zoey steps up to assert her personality and point of view.

“It might be messy, […] but the only way we’re going to have a chance is if we stick together.”

The danger of isolation for victims of domestic abuse is an underlying idea that Zoey manages to disrupt through her creative problem-solving skills and compassion. Although Kara, Crystal, and their children have no guarantee of being unconditionally safe from their abusers once they move in together, they have a much better chance together than if they’d tried to proceed on their own. The move shows the power of community.