Frindle

Even early in his character development, Nick recognizes how his grand ideas seem brilliant in the heat of the moment, but given a little bit of time, the plan’s flaws appear more glaring. While doing his homework, Nick’s idea to give a report that consumes most of class time feels genius, but he doubts himself the next morning as he grows nervous: “And his grand plan from the night before? In the harsh fluorescent light of the school day, it seemed impossible” (23). Clements likens the school’s fluorescent lights with stark reality, casting light on the plan’s unacknowledged defects. However, Nick’s determination to follow through proves his tenacity in the face of doubt and fear.

For his report, Nick gives a decently credible history of words, highlighting the dictionary’s origin through the 18th-century writer Samuel Johnson. Johnson was the great academic of the century, well-known for his poetry and Shakespearian commentary. Though dictionaries existed before Johnson’s time, reports Nick, “The thing that was different about Johnson’s dictionary was its size. […] He had over forty-three thousand words in it” (24). Throughout the novel, Clements strikes a balance between language’s flexibility (and the common speaker’s influence on language formation) and appreciation for how the dictionary exposes the intricacies, nuances, and origins of words. History applauds Johnson for being among the first to recognize the value of collecting a comprehensive list of words, their variations, and how they came to be.

Nick’s idea to overextend his report frustrates Mrs. Granger because it pits two important values against each other: pursuing curiosity through research and utilizing class time well. The same principle makes Nick’s “time-wasters” effective; class is important to the teacher, but teachers also love hearing students ask astute questions because it indicates that they’re using critical thinking. This conflict of interest confounds many teachers, but Mrs. Granger proves herself decently adept at suppressing students’ ulterior motives, though this idea stumps her more than others.

Readers watch Nick’s doubt turn into a great triumphant moment when he finds his rhythm while giving the report. Nick thinks, “Every kid in the room knew now that the period was more than half over, and that Nick’s report wasn’t just a report. It was one of the greatest time-wasters he had ever invented” (28). Though he initially feels nervous, the plan’s success only boosts his confidence to attempt his biggest idea of all: adding a new word to his own vocabulary. The bolder Nick becomes, the more he blinds himself to natural consequences for his actions, setting him up for a larger realization later in the book.