Fudge-a-Mania

In the novel’s final chapters, action rises to its peak as one major event after another occurs, ultimately tying all three families together while resolving several plot threads. In Chapter 12, the color blue is unifying: The sky’s clouds have given way to a vibrant blue sky, Fudge and Turtle become covered in blueberries, the ocean waves are blue, and Mr. Fargo is inspired by it all to create a painting using blue paint. Mr. Fargo’s painting could have been ruined when Tootsie stepped across it, but instead, even Mr. Fargo seems to have lightened up while being on vacation. In reacting well to the mishap and turning the painting into a successful series, Mr. Fargo demonstrates The Importance of Levity in situations that a person cannot change, but only react to. Levity is perhaps most needed during the chaos that ensues during the sailing trip. Almost everyone starts to panic when the boat starts to rock—except Grandma. Like in many situations throughout the novel, Grandma keeps everyone safe and calm during a moment of terror. She takes over for Peter’s father when he can no longer handle the boat successfully, showing bravery and leadership and modeling the ability to do what needs to be done. Throughout the novel, Peter in particular has bucked against whatever happens to him, and by observing adults in his life rolling with each wave as it hits, he slowly learns to do the same.

In the novel’s conclusion, Buzzy Senior and Grandma are married, to everyone’s surprise. While Fudge talks about marriage throughout the novel, it turns out to be Grandma who was on her way to the altar. The wedding between Grandma and Buzzy Senior is full of symbolism and acts as a final nod to the natural beauty of the coast of Maine and a goodbye to the vacation, the house, and the land itself. The wedding represents Grandma’s willingness to jump right into life, and the gifts that the couple receives show the solidity of the families and the love that now exists between the Hatchers and Tubmans. Fudge, as ring bearer, manages to lose the rings for a moment, giving the reader one last dose of “Fudge-a-mania.” The union between the two families not only happens in the form of a wedding, but also in a mutual understanding that forms between Peter and Sheila.

Peter’s character undergoes several important changes in the final chapters. The big baseball game brings both surprises and disappointments for Peter, who had high expectations of the day and of what it would be like to play with Big Apfel. He demonstrates uncharacteristic optimism as he manages his disappointment, looking forward to next week rather than letting one failure stop him. This major change in Peter’s reaction to unfortunate circumstances is a sign of his budding maturity. His attitude toward Sheila at the end of the novel signals maturity as well. The idea of being in a family with Sheila Tubman is strange at first, but Peter adjusts to the idea quickly, demonstrating that his love for his grandma outweighs any hesitation he may have about the Tubmans. While Peter and Sheila make a secret agreement to keep hating one another, the closing scene of the novel suggests an underlying understanding between them that developed over the course of the vacation: “I just want you to know, Peter […] that even if we are related, I’ll always hate you” (146). Peter responds with relief, adding that he will always hate Sheila, too. Where once they were direct rivals who thought they had nothing in common with one another, they learn to tolerate each other’s presence and begin to see each other’s virtues. Their rivalry evolves from one of disdain to one of playful competition. As both children face The Trials of Approaching Adolescence, this change signifies that both are growing up, learning to accept differences in others, and realizing that things don’t always work out the way they planned.