56 pages • 1 hour read
Maria PadianWrecked
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016A 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 22-24
Chapter 22 Summary: “Richard”
The italicized excerpt prior to Chapter 22 describes Jenny standing next to the tall boy serving punch at the Conundrum party. She continues “sipping” (182) her drink.
Reluctantly, Richard accompanies Jordan to the meeting at the Dean of Students Office. The night before, Richard had been ambushed by the Bockus family, who took him out for dinner, where he had to listen to their conversation about what might happen during the interview with the investigator. Richard enjoyed his steak but avoided speaking much.
Moments before the meeting is set to begin, Jordan arrives, wearing a neatly ironed outfit and looking nervous. Richard thinks to himself that Jordan is “petrified” and “almost feels sorry for him” (186).
In the meeting, Dean Elliot Hunt, a former English professor, begins the inquiry process with routine questions to Jordan about whether he has been informed regarding Jenny’s statement and accusations. As Jordan signs an affidavit asserting that he is aware of the procedures, Dean Hunt asks Richard how he is doing, cautioning him about his role as an advisor. Richard avoids giving any information, while Jordan immediately interjects about Richard being his “close friend” (190).
When Dean Hunt questions Jordan about the events on the night of the party, Jordan begins by explaining that he disagrees “with all of it” (191); in response, Dean Hunt is forced to begin going through the events described in Jenny’s statement one by one. Jordan does not respond again until Dean Hunt presses him about what he disagrees with, at which point Jordan says, “I did not rape Jenny James” (192). Dean Hunt almost convinces Jordan to say more by articulating that he just wants to hear Jordan’s side, but Jordan maintains his silence. Before dismissing Jordan, Dean Hunt also confirms that Jordan doesn’t have the Board app on his phone.
Right before sending Jordan out, Dean Hunt asks to interview Richard. Jordan looks at Richard meaningfully, as if to say, “Don’t screw me over” (196).
Chapter 23 Summary: “Haley”
Before Chapter 23 begins, the italicized passage describes Brandon Exley and Tamra beginning to flirt more heavily at the party.
In Chapter 23, Haley helps Gail, Carrie, and Mona move Jenny out of the freshman dorm into Out House, since the college wouldn’t find a new room for Jenny fast enough. As they start the packing, Gail and Haley reveal to a furious Jenny why they reported the stalking behavior. Once they explain about the comments on the online thread, Jenny looks “like she’d just been kicked in the stomach” (200). With this new information, Jenny feels encouraged that now the college might have enough for her to win the case against Jordan.
Mona and Haley discuss the move; Mona reveals that she is giving up her own bedroom so that Jenny has somewhere to stay. Through their conversation, Haley can tell that Mona understands the difficulty of Jenny’s case: instead of being closer to being solved, the issue with the whiteboard and online Board have caused “a bottomless pit of questions” (204). Mona suggests that part of the reason for the slow movement is because Jordan’s family is wealthy.
Chapter 24 Summary: “Richard”
In the italicized passage preceding Chapter 24, Marliese and several of the freshmen girls leave the party at Conundrum House; Jordan calls after them, asking why they’re leaving so soon. He is outside of the house, and when he tries to get back into the party, the boys at the door won’t let him in. Jordan gets upset and “hurls his full cup at the door, swearing” (206).
After the interview with Dean Hunt, Richard avoids seeing Jordan and refuses to answer the multiple text messages Jordan sends him. Richard reflects on the interview, during which Dean Hunt had spent a long time questioning him about his involvement in the case. Richard tries to explain that he doesn’t have anything to offer, but Dean Hunt quickly ascertains that Richard knows more than he is saying. The chapter closes on the dean asking Richard how he knows that “Jenny didn’t even report it until days after the party” (211).
Chapters 22-24 Analysis
A significant amount of the conflict in Wrecked revolves around the psychological state of, and subsequent choices made by, different characters. The most obvious example of this is Jenny, who experiences a sexual assault and must cope with her mental health after the fact. The impact of Jenny’s trauma is centered early on in the novel when Haley describes Jenny’s shift into caring less about her appearance and behaving more erratically. These are common psychological responses to a traumatic event. By providing a clear picture of Jenny’s behavior and feelings, Padian illustrates the intense ways that rape impacts a person’s psyche. In addition, as the novel’s plot proceeds, Padian characterizes Jenny’s intense emotional reactions to new events. Jenny consistently responds either with avoidance or anger, which are two common emotions displayed by survivors after a traumatic event.
At this point in the novel, Padian begins to give more of a clear picture into Jordan’s psychological state and some of the impetus behind his behaviors and choices. This is a critical shift; up until now, the novel centers on the experiences of characters who are innocent. With the move to illustrate Jordan’s thinking, Padian challenges her audience to think more critically about both sides of the events that took place at the Conundrum party. In the flashback to that night that precedes Chapter 24, Padian describes Jordan’s extreme anger when he isn’t allowed back into Conundrum House. He throws his drink at the house and swears. In this scene, Padian illustrates a young man who, as his uncle describes earlier on to Richard, is used to getting what he wants and cannot tolerate being told no. This is a critical characterization because it provides key context about how Jordan could become a perpetrator of an assault. Padian portrays Jordan as someone who is both self-serving and is frustrated by anybody who does not give him what he wants.
