59 pages • 1 hour read
Elvira WoodruffGeorge Washington's Socks
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Closing of the Eyes
This motif repeats throughout the book as a habit of Matt’s. He cannot help but close his eyes when he becomes “truly terrified” (100). Matt shuts his eyes as the rowboat transports the group back in time, and he hears sounds in their new “when” before he sees any of their surroundings. The moment after he realizes that they have ended up in a wartime era, he closes his eyes and makes a wish to go home. He closes his eyes again when confronted with the fierce-looking Native American boys, and again when his plan to steal the Hessian’s muskets and rescue Katie and Q results in failure.
This motif supports the theme of duty and responsibility. Each time we see Matt closing his eyes in denial or escapism, he avoids responsibility. This is especially true when, instead of overtaking the Hessians and rescuing Katie and Q, the Hessians capture Matt, Hooter, and Tony. The plan to sneak in and take over was entirely Matt’s idea, and yet he quickly closes his eyes to the new conflict his plan causes.
On a more symbolic level, Matt initially “closes his eyes” to the possibility that Katie might know something helpful in their search for the rowboat. When he finally listens to her, she tells them where to find the boat nearby. Matt’s exuberance is clear; there is no more evidence of his closing his eyes in fear.
One other symbolic reference to the closing of the eyes occurs when rebel troops shoot and kill Gustav. His body lies face down with one open eye visible until Matt reaches to close it, symbolizing the finality of death. That Matt is the one to close Gustav’s eye symbolizes a step toward responsibility and duty for him.
Communication Barriers
The motif of communication barriers repeats throughout the story as well. Any obstacle that hampers a message between sender and receiver can be a communication barrier. When Matt and the others first travel to 1775, the Continental Army soldiers and General Washington speak in archaic phrases such as “friend or foe” (35). In turn, to the soldiers, the children “speak queerly.” Later, vocabulary and colloquialisms cause some confusion in conversations between Matt and Israel, such as when Israel hears “snakers” instead of “sneakers.” Matt cannot make Mr. Hornbee understand his situation, and the Native Americans and Hessians speak a different language altogether.
Matt works through his language differences with Mr. Hornbee, Israel, and the Native American boys, eventually discerning messages clearly. He and his friends struggle to communicate with the Hessians but feel they can communicate with Gustav. Each time Matt encounters a communication barrier, the complication reminds him that he is far from home. Therefore, this motif contributes to the theme of Comfort in the Familiar. Communication breakthroughs, such as when Matt deciphers Mr. Hornbee’s use of “business” and when the Native American boys translate Matt’s red hair reference, support the theme of Empathy in the Other.
Parallels between Present and Past
Another motif that appears throughout the story is that of parallels between the characters Matt meets in 1775 and characters from home. For example, when he meets Mrs. Hornbee, he recalls his second-grade teacher Mrs. Pritchet because of the negative temperament both women have. Later, Matt realizes the Mr. Hornbee parallels his grandfather and that Henry Schudder parallels a student on Matt’s bus.
Situational parallels are evident in the story as well. Matt overhears General Washington coaching Major Crane on the virtue of patience, a parallel to Matt with his own father’s encouraging of Matt’s patience. When Matt rides through the quiet forest on Blackjack, he wonders at the state of the wilderness and compares the scene to modern parallels cut through with roads and development.
Matt’s parallel characters and situations help him to familiarize the unfamiliar, so this motif connects to, and supports, the theme of Comfort in the Familiar.
