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 36-41
Chapter 36 Summary: “Richard”
The italicized passage preceding Chapter 36 describes Jenny getting to know Jordan before they kiss. He compliments her again.
After witnesses are done with interviews, Dean Hunt finally agrees to meet with Richard, who is upset that the dean is “unimpressed” by Richard’s revelations about Brandon Exley. The dean explains that it’s almost impossible to prove which students have been posting on The Board; Richard shares his frustration that “this is just wrong” (317). Dean Hunt responds kindly by explaining the ways that many young adults aren’t even aware that they are “capable of doing something wrong” in addition to not wanting to experience consequences for their actions (318).
As the meeting comes to a close, Richard surprises himself by revealing Jordan’s confession about having sex with Jenny. Richard also shares that Exley knew. The dean is intrigued by this information and asks several follow-up questions before telling Richard to “let go of this now” (321), dismissing him.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Haley”
Before Chapter 37, a longer italicized passage describes Jordan and Jenny getting more intimate with one another. When he begins to move his hand “on her crotch” (322) she stops him, and then she falls asleep.
Over lunch, Haley and Madison reminisce about soccer season and share in their sadness that Haley won’t be able to return after this season. They talk quickly about Haley’s relationship with Richard. After, the two discuss the case, and Haley gets upset when Madison says that the whole situation “sounds sketch” (327). Haley is already about to leave when she gets a text message from Mona that Jenny’s case has been dropped. Haley rushes to Out House.
Chapter 38 Summary: “Richard”
A longer italicized section before Chapter 38 describes Jenny waking to Jordan kissing her with “his hand, again, is between her legs” (329). She tries to speak but feels “far away” (329) and he begins having non-consensual intercourse with her. She feels “paralyzed” (330) and tries to push him off her. Finally, he finishes.
Richard comes home to Taylor House to find Jordan packing to leave; the other housemates explain that he has chosen to withdraw from the college rather than wait for the conclusion of the investigation. A confused Richard then encounters Uncle Bruce, who explains that, by withdrawing from the school, Jordan makes it so that “the claim against him no longer exists” (333).
When Richard inquires as to why Jordan would have made that choice, Uncle Bruce explains that the dean had received new information from a witness that would have allowed pursual of “expulsion for Jordan” (334). Richard tries to keep his face blank as he realizes that it is his testimony that caused this; Uncle Bruce further explains that Brandon Exley was also implicated. The dean played the two young men against one another so that both were forced to withdraw. Uncle Bruce explains, before leaving, that he “didn’t tell Jordan it was [Richard]” (337) to keep anyone else from being harmed by the case.
Chapter 39 Summary: “Haley”
The italicized section before Chapter 39 describes a disoriented Jenny reeling from being raped by Jordan, who offers her a water. When he leaves the room, she pulls her underwear on and runs out.
At Out House, Haley joins a group of young women consoling Jenny. They are discussing Jordan’s withdrawal; Jenny is extremely upset that “he gets off, with nothing” (341). Haley emphasizes that it’s good that he won’t be allowed on the campus anymore, and Carrie says sharply that Haley just doesn’t understand. Worse, as Jenny explains, she’s left with the social repercussions: people think she’s “a lying bitch” (343). Haley is humbled as Jenny explains how hard it will be for her to move on when “he’s free and [she’s] left with all this crap” (344).
Chapter 40 Summary: “Richard”
Before Chapter 40, the short passage describes Jordan, who is going to get water but really just wants “a couple more condoms from the bathroom dispenser” (345). When he returns to the room, he realizes that she has left, and he falls into a deep sleep.
Although he hesitates, Richard agrees to meet with Jenny at Haley’s suggestion. While he waits for the two young women to arrive, he thinks about the events earlier that day, when his housemates asked him to be “the house social chair” (347) and guide them in a new, more positive direction. Haley and Jenny come into the room, and he shakes Jenny’s hands.
The conversation is awkward to begin; both Richard and Jenny describe not wanting “to do this” (349). Haley redirects them, pushing Richard to explain to Jenny why both Exley and Jordan withdrew. He explains his theory about the dean’s investigative techniques. When Jenny expresses confusion about why he would push the boys towards withdrawal instead of expulsion, Richard explains that maybe “he didn’t think the committee would throw them out” (350).
Jenny gets to explain that she feels frustrated, but also that it feels better to know that the dean believed her version of the story. After Jenny leaves, Haley and Richard talk briefly about the conclusion of the case. Jenny will live at Out House and finish out her years at the school with more peace.
Chapter 41 Summary: “Haley”
Before Chapter 41 begins, the italics describe Jenny trying to walk with a broken heel, thinking of the girls whose shoes she borrowed and who had abandoned her. She feels like she just wants to “outrun this night” (353).
Chapters 36-41 Analysis
There are several key threads in the resolution of the plot of Wrecked. The first, potentially most central thread is what happens with Jenny and the rape case. This is a development that concludes in somewhat of a contrast to Richard and Haley’s relationship. A final thread of the plot that is actively resolved is the true story of what happened to Jenny, which ends without resolution in the italicized passages.
Much of the conflict of Wrecked revolves around the investigation of Jenny’s claim that she has been raped; in the final sections of the novel, Padian provides a conclusion to this case that represents typical outcomes at universities, while illustrating the impacts of these decisions on survivors. When the dean challenges Jordan Bockus and Brandon Exley on their stories, implying that he has grounds for expulsion, both young men choose to withdraw from the college rather than face a disciplinary decision.
Through the illustration of this process, Padian shows how complicated it is for colleges to make the appropriate decisions regarding sexual assault cases where there is little or no evidence; the dean is right in assuming that it is possible that the two students would not necessarily be found guilty. Yet Padian also shows how devastating this is for Jenny, who feels that Jordan gets to go “free” (344) while she’s left dealing with the negative consequences of his actions. Haley’s perspective on this resolution shows the complexities of these kinds of cases: it is, to Haley, positive that Jordan won’t still be on campus, but she can also understand why Jenny would feel frustrated with the outcome.
Padian doesn’t only conclude Wrecked with the outcome of the investigation, she also includes the truth of what happened via the italicized passages, in which it finally becomes clear that Jenny was indeed raped by Jordan. By waiting until the final moments of the novel to illustrate this with clarity, Padian forces readers to draw their own conclusions about the situation, much like the characters themselves. This is an important strategy that influences much of the plot of the novel; by waiting to decisively portray what happened, Padian centers the subjective narrative experiences of her characters and challenges readers to have their own ideas about the case. This structural choice reveals a core aspect of Padian’s intentions in the way she builds the plot: she wants readers to engage with the larger questions of the text rather than having those questions answered for them.
A final resolution portrayed in the concluding chapters of Wrecked is what happens with Richard and Haley’s relationship, which is almost in direct contrast to Jenny’s experience. After their triumph at the consent assembly, the two young students begin to build their relationship more in earnest, and the final pages of the novel show Richard and Haley consensually kissing and talking to one another thoughtfully. Though much of the novel’s plot has focused on what happened to Jenny, by concluding with a tender scene of Richard and Haley, Padian centers the possibilities of positive, consensual relationships between young adults on college campuses.
