Scrawl

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-8

Chapters 9-16

Chapters 17-23

Chapters 24-30

Chapters 31-38

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Potential for Redemption and Personal Growth

When the narrative first introduces Tod, he characterizes himself as a bully who is angry at his neglectful mother, at other students whom he sees as inferior or stupid, and at the school that has unsuccessfully tried to reform him against his will. His first journal entries are hateful, dark, and sarcastic. He antagonizes Mrs. Woodrow and the entire idea of writing in a journal because he sees it as pointless: “I know what you think. You think I’m fixable, don’t you? You want to fix the bad guy” (7). Because the novel is written from Tod’s perspective in a diaristic format, the novel portrays an intimate depiction of how he sees himself: the villain, the monster, and the irredeemable delinquent.

However, as the novel continues and reveals more of Tod’s story, his characterization begins to shift. It is clear that his mother isn’t purposefully neglectful; she works long hours to make ends meet and is frustrated with Tod’s behavior. Other students are wealthy, spoiled, and privileged. They taunt Tod because of his weight, socioeconomic status, and perceived lack of intelligence. Even the lunch lady and janitor ridicule Tod’s appearance. The principal and most teachers only see Tod as the simple-minded and aggressive bully he portrays himself as. Even his “friends” Rex and Rob tease him mercilessly and only show restraint when Tod threatens them with violence. Gradually, the words Tod uses to describe school begin to make sense: “unfair,” “competitive,” disadvantaged,” “dysfunctional” (10). Despite his self-professed hate for everyone, he proves to be hopeful and compassionate to Bernie, Luz, Mrs. Lent, and Mrs. Woodrow—characters who have treated him with respect. Tod has a code of honor that encourages him to make the play costumes when he thinks that he’s destroyed the sphinx statue.

Tod proves to be a kind person underneath all the bully bravado, and he follows a path of growth and redemption. His violence and bullying of the wealthier kids isn’t justified, nor is his willing association with Rex’s and Rob’s penchant for chaos. Therefore, outgrowing Rex and Rob, as well as helping with the play and keeping a journal, signals the novel’s underlying message that people have the potential for redemption. He grows to accept and enjoy being kind as opposed to fulfilling the bully stereotype. Instead of a complete personality change, Tod simply embraces his kinder side and that personal growth is possible.

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Adolescent Behavior

One of the main reasons why Tod is bitter and acts out violently is because he lives in poverty. He describes his home in the low-income part of town as old, falling apart, cold, and lacking privacy. His family lives paycheck to paycheck and relies on his mother’s freelance sewing to make ends meet. They don’t have a car, so his family depends on public transportation. Tod’s food at home is limited and unhealthy, so he participates in the free lunch program at school; he sometimes sells his free lunch card for extra money and instead chooses to starve. His clothing is cheap, and he only has two outfits that he switches between. Therefore, Tod frequently steals food and participates in other criminal activities to supplement his low-income lifestyle.

The hardship of poverty is challenging in itself, but Shulman suggests that it is compounded by guilt and shame, the impact of which can be devastating, especially at such a young age. Tod is bullied at school for his weight, his free lunch card, and his limited wardrobe. He constantly sees material things that he can’t afford but his peers can, which leads to feelings of isolation. Most of the time, Tod feels hopeless about his situation and does what he deems necessary to survive like the “dropouts” in his neighborhood who steal from and bully people their whole lives: “In my neighborhood, you can either be the hard-working nobody or the high-flying somebody. The good guys get ground to a pulp. The bad guys get remembered. What other choice is there for a guy like me?” (72) This future lifestyle is presented as an unfortunate but inevitable fate. However, at other times, Tod feels like he can escape: “Someday I’ll have enough money. Someday I’ll actually get to keep the money Mom makes when I’m doing her easy mending. She told Dick that a grunt like me needs some kind of skill to keep out of jail” (32). Although he doesn’t realize until later, writing in his journal turns out to be the potential “skill” that can save him from this future lifestyle.

Overall, the novel highlights how socioeconomic status can be make or break for adolescents. Tod veers onto the path of crime and violence to cope with his situation, showing how problematic behavior isn’t isolated to individual or personal inclinations; it exists within a larger societal structure of inequality.

The Power of Self-Expression

The novel presents various forms of self-expression and highlights how powerful it can be for well-being; self-expression can also be misused to gain power. Luz expresses herself through her art, while Rex and Rob express themselves through anger like Tod does at first. He understands why expressing yourself is powerful, but he only understands it as graffiti and vandalism: “When you’re a kid, you make your name with fat-tip markers and carving knives. And you live forever” (5). For Tod, leaving your mark on the world is important, but he explores it in an aggressive and criminal because that’s all he knows. Even though he’s an avid reader, he doesn’t see himself as a writer at first because he doesn’t fit the stereotype of a writer: “Well, I don’t know about real writing. Or real writers. I don’t think writers are like real people. They’re different. They know a lot about everything and have a lot to say and people want to listen” (67). Tod learns throughout the novel that he can express himself through writing instead of graffiti and vandalism and that this makes him feel better about life.

Writing in a journal begins as punishment for Tod. He’s a strong writer and storyteller, but he doesn’t see himself as having anything meaningful to say because he agrees with Rob, who believes that no one would want to “read the sad story of a poor, fat loser” (200). At school, he chooses not to express himself. He pretends to be “Stupid Tod,” an unintelligent caricature of himself that he uses to prevent people from seeing the real him. Shulman, however, suggests that true self-expression requires vulnerability, which he achieves in the journal through the act of writing things down and having Mrs. Woodrow as his reader: “I’m so sorry. I’m just so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit the pedestal” (94). He expresses his genuine regret for destroying Luz’s statue. He goes above and beyond the required punishment by writing outside of school detention hours, eventually keeping his own journal that he doesn’t plan on sharing with anyone because the act of writing is enough for him. Writing helps him reflect on his behavior. It helps him and others see the truth about him. In the end, his behavior follows this change in mindset because he gets “tired of writing down all the crappy things I do to people” (174). Writing down his actions forces him to confront them. Therefore, writing as self-expression becomes important for Tod’s character development and growth.