Mick Harte Was Here

Mick Harte is Phoebe’s 12-year-old brother. He dies before the action of the novel commences. The narrative builds an impression of him through retrospective anecdotes told by Phoebe, who loved and appreciated his hilarious and eccentric approach to life and mourns him after his death.

Mick danced eccentrically at a school assembly, was obsessed with flies, and collected the autographs of D-list celebrities. He was talented at voice impersonations, and drove his family to distraction by speaking like Elmer Fudd (a Looney Tunes character) for three days on a road trip. These anecdotes aim to humanize Mick to the reader, and further accentuate the tragedy of his premature death.

Mick had a very particular dress sense, comically motivated by his distress at being forced to wear “this long, lacy white thing with blue ribbons and a matching lace hat” (a baptismal gown) as a baby (15). Mick goes through a “macho” phase, then a “trendy” phase. His commitment to being a “sharp dresser” shaped his choice to not wear his bicycle helmet, which he felt made him “look like a dork” (81). This has tragic consequences; doctors suggest that had Mick been wearing a helmet, he would have likely survived the crash. Bicycle safety, explored through Mick’s tragic death, is a recurring motif throughout Mick Harte Was Here.

Zoe Santos is Phoebe’s best friend. She lives across the street from Phoebe, and is in the same grade at school. Zoe is characterized as a kind and supportive friend in the way she selflessly supports Phoebe when Mick dies. Unlike Phoebe’s other friends, who are so terrified of saying the wrong thing that they say nothing of Mick to Phoebe, Zoe consistently calls Phoebe in the days, weeks, and months following Mick’s death. She is not offended when Phoebe angrily hangs up on her after she describes the grief counseling sessions at school; instead she remains determined to support her grieving friend. Zoe’s loyalty inspires Phoebe to reflect: “I could always talk to her” (48). 

Zoe spends hours listening to Phoebe and sitting with her. It is Zoe who suggests that Phoebe could imagine that Mick is everywhere, “like God is everywhere” (53). This spiritual belief brings Phoebe immense solace and makes her feel closer to Mick.

Barbara Park uses Zoe to emphasize the importance of a loving and supportive network in times of heartbreak; Phoebe’s parents are incapacitated by their own grief at this time, making Zoe’s presence and support indispensable.

Mr. Harte (whose first name is not specified) is Phoebe and Mick’s father. He sobs inconsolably when he returns from the hospital where Mick has been declared dead: “My father broke down then. Heaving these terrible sobs into his hands” (27). Like the rest of the family, Mr. Harte is unable to commit to a regular routine of sleep, eating, or conversation; he drifts around listlessly. According to Phoebe, he turns from an organized and animated person to a “slob in slipper socks” (47). His unfocused wandering around the house speaks to his absolute devastation at his son’s death, as does his uncharacteristically sloppy appearance.

Mr. Harte struggles with guilt; he wishes that he had insisted that Mick wear the helmet that he bought for him—“all at once, he heaved this God-awful sigh and whispered, ‘If only I had made him wear his helmet’” (85). His sense of culpability is indicated by his huge sigh and confession. Like the rest of the family, Mr. Harte struggles to move to a place of acceptance.