Slob

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-17

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Grotesque

Slob creates a grotesque motif that uses language and characters to develop empathy in readers. A form of social commentary closely associated with the Carnivalesque, the use of the Grotesque is a literary device that highlights strange, mysterious, hideous, and/or unpleasant distortions of the body to create disgust in situations that encourage self-aware empathy development as readers become hyperaware of the discomfort. The Grotesque became associated with deformity and disability during the 20th century due to the scope of injury and physical trauma experienced by veterans of World War I.

Ellen Potter uses the motif of the grotesque to illustrate the negative results of judging individuals by their physical appearances. Owen’s repeated references to physical symptoms and body parts include vivid language and descriptions that encourage hyperfocus and discomfort in readers to develop empathy for him. Thus, Owen can be considered a grotesque character. Mason can be identified as another grotesque character when Owen experiences discomfort as he views Mason’s scars. Owen demonstrates the same discomfort readers might feel when confronted with Owen’s grotesque descriptions of his own body. Owen’s acceptance of Mason’s facial scars becomes an illustration and model for a process of empathy development facilitated by the grotesque.

Slob

The title of the book underscores the significance of the word slob in the novel. Slob is a symbol of the connection between the trauma Owen experiences and his obesity. It is also a representation of the insecurities and social stigma that he faces due to his weight, literally and metaphorically.

The connection between the term slob and Owen’s trauma becomes apparent when Owen reveals it was “the last thing [his] mother ever wrote” (197). It is an ironic reference to food, a notation that Owen explains was “shorthand for salami on an onion bagel” (197). After saying a prayer for that represents closure, acceptance, and forgiveness, Owen rips up the paper that he has kept since the murder. This signifies his healing and readiness to move on from the tragedy.

Slob is also a metaphor for how Owen sees himself due to the degradation and bullying that he experiences because of his obesity. His self-image is framed in the image of a slob due to his weight, which builds upon Owen’s first-person perspective. The definition of a slob as a person who is lazy demonstrates the negative associations and assumptions tied to Owen’s obesity. This stereotype complicates his ability to heal as he continues to experience harassment and additional trauma, building on the emotional scars he already carries from his parents’ murder. The bullying and self-image degradation Owen experiences create primary and secondary conflicts in the novel.

GWAB

Girls Who are Boys, or GWAB, is a symbol of social empowerment and acceptance. GWAB emphasizes the complexity of identity and establishes gender construction as an important social issue. It also symbolizes adolescent attempts to establish voice and self-expression in a world that enforces conformity to strict views of identity. Ironically, GWAB similarly restricts the fluidity of gender as a concept, limiting freedom of expression through strict rules of appearance in attempts to reject normalized views of gender.

GWAB also highlights the overall complexity of identity and acceptance in society. Despite a generally progressive mission that works toward social acceptance, members of GWAB force Jeremy to decide between cutting her hair and conforming to rigid views of female and male appearances or participating in an elaborate prank to bully Owen. In this act, GWAB becomes a participant in the bullying culture of The Martha Doxie School and a symbol in the Power, Negligence, and Bullying Behavior and the Identity and Self-Image themes.

Boulder

The motif of a boulder is an important symbol that is referenced repeatedly throughout the story and inverts in significance by the conclusion of the novel. Early references to boulders are used to compare Owen’s size to boulders. These references include allusions to disempowerment and powerlessness. For example, Owen notes that he feels like a “huge fat boulder that people write curse words on” (45). This example emphasizes the immovable as a negative. Owen lets things happen to him “because he is a boulder and that’s what boulders do” (45). Owen inverts this comparison later to create a juxtaposition that illustrates his character growth. He notes, “I am a boulder. Boulders don’t move” (169). In this example, his perspective acknowledges the steadiness of a boulder as a positive attribute. The phrasing adapts and becomes, “I am a boulder, I am a boulder, I will not move” (169). His reversal and acceptance adapt the comparison to create an empowering self-image as steadfast and resolute.