Skip to main content

Why is it very important to Maniac Magee to have an address? How does the text show this?

Maniac Magee rarely felt at home.  His parents both perished in a tragic trolley car accident when he was three years old.  He was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, who had a strained marital relationship.  They did not speak to one another.  They did not share anything in their house.  After years of dealing with their behavior toward one another, Maniac snapped.  He could not stand it anymore, and he ran away....

Maniac Magee rarely felt at home.  His parents both perished in a tragic trolley car accident when he was three years old.  He was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, who had a strained marital relationship.  They did not speak to one another.  They did not share anything in their house.  After years of dealing with their behavior toward one another, Maniac snapped.  He could not stand it anymore, and he ran away.  He wound up in Two Mills, which was across the river from the home he had lived in with his parents.


In Two Mills, Maniac did not have a home at first.  He slept in "the deer shed at the Elmwood Park Zoo" until the Beale family invited him to stay with them.  It was at their house that Maniac first showed how much he valued having an address.  On the first night in their house, Maniac walked outside and "looked at the three cast-iron digits nailed to the door frame: seven two eight."  Maniac smiled happily because he "finally had an address."


Another example of when Maniac showed how much he valued having an address was when he and Grayson moved into the equipment room.  Maniac painted "one oh one Band Shell Boulevard" outside the door.  He did this to show that he and Grayson had an address for their new home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are the cobra's physical features in Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?

There are two cobras that Rikki-tikki faces off against.  Nag is the male cobra and Nagaina is the female cobra.  The first snake that Rikki-tikki sees is Nag, and he is a rather imposing figure. Then inch by inch out of the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail. … he looked at Rikki-tikki with the wicked snake's eyes that never change their expression, whatever the snake may be thinking of. Nag raises himself up and shows off his great hood.  On his hood there is a “spectacle-mark on the back of it that looks exactly like the eye part of a hook-and-eye fastening.”  Rikki-tikki is only intimidated for a moment, and is not tricked when Nagaina tries to come up behind him. Nag and Nagaina know that a mongoose is very bad news for them.  As the new house mongoose, it is Rikki-tikki’s job to kill all of the snakes.  The cobras would definitely be on his hit-list, and this worries them because they have a family...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more