Firegirl

Jessica Feeney joins Tom’s class but remains an enigma as the students—initially including Tom—view her with dread and suspicion. Abbott develops themes of difference and friendship as Tom wrestles with his emotions and begins to emerge from his self-imposed invisibility and question his friendship with Jeff.

Jessica is a threat to the normalcy that Tom appreciates in class. After Mrs. Tracy announces Jessica’s impending arrival, Tom desperately wants reassurance that “things would still be normal and regular” (31). Tom dislikes change or conflict that brings him out of his comfort zone and appreciates the regularity which enables his shyness and invisibility. However, it’s out of his comfort zone where Tom experiences the most growth.

Jessica is not only an outsider in their community, but she is visibly different from everyone else. Tom initially defines her by her disfigurement, “Jessica Feeney, the horribly burned girl” (47). Instead of acknowledging or responding to Jessica’s greeting, the class reacts with silence, which is a tacit rejection. Tom knows their silence is abnormal, and he internally begs the class to return to normal and “fill up the room with noise” (34). Jessica’s difference threatens the class community. Jeff, even before Jessica’s arrival, reveals that he does not welcome an outsider, resentfully noting that she could have gone to a different school. Abbott will continue to build on the motif of normality and how it informs the theme of difference as the novel progresses.

Jeff, especially, cannot see past Jessica’s outward appearance. He thinks she is “gross” and is repulsed by her. He does not use Jessica’s name but refers to her as “that girl,” or speaks of her using third-person pronouns, which sets her apart from him. Jeff’s refusal to take Jessica’s hand shows that he sees her as “untouchable,” something less than human that he fears will contaminate him.

Jeff’s wish to discover how Jessica got burned and his accusations that Jessica caused the fire, her injuries, and the possible injuries of others reveal his lack of empathy. Readers suspect that Jeff’s hostility towards Jessica may stem from his anger towards his parents.

Tom, in contrast, empathizes with Jessica’s pain. Tom has a physical reaction, feeling icy and sweaty and ill when he imagines the pain of Jessica’s injuries, her mental anguish, and the discomfort of her treatments. Although Tom is frightened to take Jessica’s hand, he feels that he has no choice, saying “I couldn’t not take it” (54). Tom did have a choice, however, and he made a very different, affirming choice, unlike Jeff. This action is one of many that set Tom and Jeff up as character foils: Jeff is loud, pushy, and unempathetic, while Tom is introspective, kind, and thoughtful.

The arrival of Jessica pushes Tom out of his mental refuge. Tom is upset by Jeff’s vociferously critical opinion of Jessica, and Jeff and Rich’s rudely speculative conversation. He wishes they would not speak about Jessica or her appearance. Tom is conflicted between staying silent and safe and speaking out. He worries about calling attention to himself by disclosing his private thoughts and disrupting his social circle.

Through this moment, the true meaning of friendship becomes an important theme in the novel. Although Jeff and Rich’s talk about Jessica makes Tom uncomfortable, Tom does not walk away. Tom is socially isolated and is not ready to lose Jeff’s friendship. By changing the subject to Jeff’s uncle, Tom deflects talk of Jessica, protects his connection to Jeff, and excludes Rich, who admires Jeff’s ‘knowledge’ about burn victims, and is willing to follow Jeff’s lead. Tom and Jeff’s relationship begins to change.

Tom’s interior dialogue reflects this conflict. He asks himself what he is doing when he tells Jeff and Rich his feelings about Courtney and expresses his inner confusion about his emotions and actions when he wonders why he is sacrificing a dear secret to protect Jessica. His dilemma shows that Tom is beginning to solidify his values and his identity, and his choice here will reflect Jessica’s later point that petty social issues—like who one has a crush on—pale in comparison to larger matters, like life, death, health, and family.

This section also signals a change in Tom’s interiority. Tom’s thoughts transfer from imaginary stories about Courtney to Jessica’s reality. Tom researches skin grafts to better understand Jessica’s condition—a step towards understanding her as an individual. Tom is gradually able to look at Jessica and see that despite her disfigurement, she looks like a regular girl from a certain angle. Tom acknowledges her as a person, like himself.