56 pages • 1 hour read
Lynda Mullaly HuntShouting at the Rain
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary: “Shudder at the Thought”
Delsie discovers the next morning that she tanned while in the sun, meaning that “boring” is still written on her back. Delsie invites Aimee and Michael to go tag-saling for a new frame to replace the frame she broke. Michael asks why Delsie keeps a picture of a mother she never knew. Aimee chastises him for being insensitive, and Delsie feels grateful for her friends.
Michael is in a bad mood. He is currently living in a campground, as his family’s landlord forces his family to leave each summer to rent out the house to guests.
Aimee suggests Delsie buy a picture frame with a seal on it, but Delsie refuses, arguing that it looks like it’s for tourists. Delsie bargains for a digital camera and a jar, but the seller also slips the seal frame into her bag.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Zonked!”
Brandy and Tressa visit Delsie at her house. Tressa is unimpressed by Grammy. When Tressa gets soot on her finger, she wipes it on Delsie’s bedspread. Tressa decides to leave, and Brandy leaves with her.
Brandy’s changed behavior saddens Delsie. Realizing this, Grammy urges Delsie to stop thinking about Brandy and Tressa. Grammy tells her to demonstrate to Brandy how much she matters to Delsie as a friend, but Delsie can only think about Tressa, realizing that even though she doesn’t like her, she wishes that Tressa would like her.
Chapter 13 Summary: “The Rift”
Delsie goes to see Brandy and Tressa on the beach. She finds them collecting rocks and shells in the pails that she and Brandy once used. As she walks down the beach, she finds Ronan throwing rocks into the sea and sees Brandy and Tressa laughing and glancing in their direction. When Delsie reaches them, they stop laughing. When Delsie asks to hang out with them, they stop speaking to each other.
Tressa tricks Delsie into walking away from her and Brandy, but Delsie runs back to them and gives Brandy a rock she decorated for her. Tressa slaps the rock out of Brandy’s hand and then skips it into the waves. Delsie begins crying, and Tressa mocks her. Brandy does nothing. Ronan approaches the girls and tells Tressa to leave her alone. He reproaches Tressa, telling her, “I cry sometimes. Don’t you?” (69).
Delsie returns home to her grandmother and tells her what happened at the beach. Grammy tells her that her feelings matter and that she should save her feelings for people who care about her. Delsie promises herself that she will never again give her feelings to those who do not care for her.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Return of the Madre”
As Delsie runs on the beach, she thinks that she does not belong anywhere or with anyone. Hearing this inner voice, she slows down and comes to a standstill. Ronan runs up to Delsie and tells her that he was running beside her but that she ran too fast for him. Delsie invites him to a cookout at her house that night.
Delsie and Ronan go to her neighborhood and find Henry and Ruby starting the cookout. Olive shows up and complains about Ruby practicing with a fishing line. Olive accuses Ronan of being a thief, saying that he looks like a “hooligan.” When Olive returns to abusing Ruby, Ronan asks Delsie why Olive is “so mean.” His whisper is loud enough for Olive to hear; she looks hurt and mumbles an apology.
Esme, Henry’s wife and Ruby’s mother, arrives home. Delsie is overjoyed, feeling like the neighborhood is “whole again.”
Chapter 15 Summary: “That Nourishing Tea”
The next day, Esme invites Delsie to her house. Delsie is happy to be with Esme, whom she loves. Henry and Ruby join them as Esme makes tea for Delsie. Henry invites Delsie to join him on his fishing boat, revealing that Delsie’s mother enjoyed fishing and had excellent instincts.
Esme serves Delsie her “nourishing tea.” Delsie tries to work up the courage to ask Esme more questions about why her mother left but instead asks Esme why she calls her tea “nourishing” when it’s just leaves and water. Esme explains that sharing tea helps people when they are sad, angry, or struggling with any negative emotions. She emphasizes the importance of friendship, connection, and talking to others. Delsie abruptly leaves, overcome with emotion.
Delsie decides to practice for the 5K run despite the rain. She reflects that she feels like a cloud, gathering water molecules and getting ready to storm.
Chapter 16 Summary: “A Bowl of Bologna”
Delsie brings home photographs she took on her camera and begins the “Wall of the Left Behind,” hanging up images of an abandoned house in her neighborhood and of deserted belongings.
Ronan comes over for dinner. Delsie and Ronan play Monopoly with a set that her mother made when she was Delsie’s age. They finish at midnight. Ronan lies to Grammy by saying that he has already called his father to let him know he is coming home late. As Grammy gets ready to drive him to his house, Delsie asks Ronan why he lied. Ronan says that he has no curfew, and Delsie wonders if that is true.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Escape from the Cakes”
Delsie and Ronan go to the beach and make fishing lures out of old chicken legs and string to catch blue crabs. Delsie teaches Ronan how to catch them. Ronan catches a large crab and names him “Darwin”; he then throws the crab back into the water, saying that he was too “beautiful.” Delsie reflects that Papa Joseph would have liked Ronan and that Ronan has a “good soul.”
Chapter 18 Summary: “Who Watches You While You Eat a Sandwich?”
Brandy invites Delsie to join her and Tressa for lunch at the beach. Delsie runs into Ronan on her way, and Ronan questions whether Brandy and Tressa are actually Delsie’s friends.
When Delsie joins them, Tressa tells Delsie that Brandy’s mother made Brandy invite Delsie to lunch. Delsie is embarrassed to eat her fried bologna sandwich while the other girls eat their “fancy” chicken wraps. Tressa tells Delsie that she and Brandy watched fireworks and went to a pizza parlor last night, and Delsie lies and says that she was also there. Brandy realizes that Delsie is lying. Tressa keeps talking over Delsie and orders her to get napkins. Delsie leaves, feeling dispirited.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Is That You?”
Delsie and Ronan go to Holiday Hill and play mini golf. Delsie reflects that she feels comfortable with Ronan and likes that she does not have to lie to him.
Delsie sees a woman with two young children who looks just like the photo of Delsie’s mother. Ronan encourages her to go speak to the woman. Delsie approaches the woman, who is kind but tells Delsie that she is not her mother. Delsie runs away from the golf course and goes to Aimee’s house. Delsie tells Aimee that being an orphan means that she will never have the same experiences as Aimee, such as being told she looks just like her mother or going to a father-daughter dance. Delsie feels intensely angry while telling Aimee this, but Aimee comforts Delsie by joking about how Annie’s song “Tomorrow” is probably not strong enough to convey Delsie’s emotions.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Seeds That Grow and Seeds That Don’t”
That night, Delsie dreams that she and Papa Joseph are searching for coins using a metal detector on the beach. The next day, Delsie and Grammy reminisce about Papa Joseph. Grammy considers selling some of the treasures that Papa Joseph found with his metal detector to cover some necessary repairs. When Delsie protests, Grammy says that his old things also make her sad.
Delsie goes through some of Papa Joseph’s treasures and puts them in the jar she bought from the estate sale. She finds that his treasures make her feel both sad and happy. Delsie finds another box that says “My Mellie” on it in Grammy’s handwriting. Inside is a necklace made of colored stones and a ticket from a Mariah Carey concert, with a note on top written by her grandmother that says “We Belong Together” (110). She also finds two rings and a collection of root beer bottle caps. Delsie takes these things and puts them in the jar as well. Delsie then digs a hole in the backyard and buries the jar.
Chapters 11-20 Analysis
The symbolic seal makes an appearance in Chapter 11, this time in the form of a frame. This is significant considering Delsie recently shattered the frame displaying a photo of her mother, but it is also ironic. The seal represents maternal love, but Delsie’s mother is absent from her life. That she cannot seem to escape reminders of that absence suggests the depth of her grief and (by contrast) The Importance of Friendship and Family.
Delsie’s creation of the “Wall of the Left Behind” further reflects her deep-seated feeling of being “left behind” herself—not only by her mother but also now by Brandy as well. The scene in which Tressa slaps the rock that Delsie had decorated for Brandy out of Brandy’s hand is a significant landmark in Delsie and Brandy’s relationship. The rock, a symbol of Delsie’s friendship with Brandy, is thrown away by Tressa. While Brandy is not personally cruel to Delsie, her complicity in Tressa’s cruelty marks her as an untrue friend: She allows Tressa to reject Delsie on her behalf. That Delsie wants Tressa to like her despite not liking Tressa indicates Delsie’s desperation to belong. Tressa seems to recognize this power she wields over Delsie. The act of wiping soot on Delsie’s bedspread signifies her wanton cruelty; she does it simply because she can. Class also continues to permeate the girls’ dynamics, with Delsie feeling ashamed of the humble lunch she brings to the beach gathering.
Even as Delsie continues to cling to Brandy’s friendship, there are signs that she might find real friendship elsewhere. Ronan again interferes in Tressa’s mockery of Delsie, reproachfully saying, “I cry sometimes. Don’t you?” (69). While the incident hurts Delsie, it provides a valuable lesson on self-worth, as Grammy urges Delsie not to give herself or her feelings to people who do not care about her. Delsie does not fully absorb this idea until later, but its articulation marks a shift away from Delsie’s conflict with Tressa and Brandy toward a focus on Delsie’s internal conflict. The internal voice that Delsie sometimes hears tells her that she “do[esn’t] belong anywhere. Not with anyone” (72). Nevertheless, she reaches out to Ronan by inviting him to her neighborhood cookout—an act that marks the beginning of their friendship and signals Delsie’s unconscious hope that she can find belonging. The scenes of close friendship with Ronan starkly contrast with Delsie’s encounters with Brandy and Tressa, further suggesting that she belongs with him instead.
Just as Delsie struggles to let go of Brandy despite Ronan’s presence, she struggles to accept maternal love where she finds it. Chapter 15 introduces Esme, who quickly becomes an important character, acting as a surrogate mother to Delsie. The nourishing tea that Esme gives Delsie is a symbol of that love and connection, and Delsie’s reflection that the neighborhood is “whole again” when Esme returns builds on the motif of wholeness versus brokenness, hinting that Esme could help Delsie herself feel more complete. However, Delsie’s reflection that she is glad that Henry and Esme “love [her], but it feels like having the light of the sun but not its warmth” suggests that their love cannot compensate for the absence of her mother (83).
Despite his growing closeness with Delsie, Ronan’s character remains shadowy. His positive personality traits come to the forefront in this section; for instance, when he visits Delsie, he brings a tart and helps wash the dishes, and when he catches a crab, he throws it back into the water, saying the crab is too “beautiful” to eat. However, other aspects of Ronan’s life are still mysterious, such as his reasons for lying about calling his father and having no curfew. His acknowledgment that he cries demonstrates his vulnerability but also suggests that Ronan may be hiding some inner sadness. Another example of The Complexity of Human Emotions and Character comes from Olive. The cookout initiates the slow change that will occur in Olive, prompted by Ronan calling her “mean.” Olive’s shocked reaction and mumbled apology suggest that there is more beneath the surface of Olive’s cruelty.
The theme of The Importance of Changing Perspective also gains new significance in this section, as for the first time Delsie challenges Grammy’s perspective—specifically, Grammy’s rejection of Papa Joseph’s treasures because they make her “sad.” Delsie’s refusal to relinquish these treasures or her mother’s keepsakes, and her ability to feel both happiness and sadness when examining these mementos, suggests that Delsie’s perspective is in some ways more nuanced than Grammy’s.
Nevertheless, Delsie still has much to learn. A sense of Delsie’s feelings slowly building like a storm permeates this part of the novel. Delsie refers to herself as feeling like a rain cloud accumulating molecules, foreshadowing her Chapter 21 outburst at Aimee’s house.
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