78 pages • 2 hours read
Christopher Paul CurtisThe Mighty Miss Malone
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2012A 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
Symbols for One’s Dreams and Hopes
Symbols for dreams and hopes support the theme of “Fighting for Success and Survival” throughout the novel. Often, certain objects or possessions give characters a boost of hope; these items symbolize the characters’ dreams for a happy future. Deza’s brand-new blue gingham dress and shoes from Mrs. Needham are among these symbols; Deza is thrilled to own something new and feels older and important in the new items. They represent innovative ideas and moving on from her sixth grade year to more mature situations in future years of school. The sight of Deza in the new outfit makes Mother happy too; her hopes and dreams for Deza’s future are apparent when she smiles.
Deza’s essays for Mrs. Needham represent her hopes and dreams of future education and becoming a teacher. Deza understands that the “bad” grade on her last essay of the year is a symbolic way of pushing her to adopt a more mature and realistic tone in her writing, which she will need for a successful path.
Deza’s accidental abandonment of the dress, shoes, and essays behind in Gary symbolizes a loss of one’s hopes and dreams, and how easily hopes and dreams can disappear without tending. When Mother makes a new gingham jumper for Deza, it represents a renewal of one’s dreams; when Deza receives a C+ on her first essay in Flint, she vows to write even better essays in the future, representing how one must often fight to keep hopes and dreams alive.
Symbols for Family Unity
Several symbolic objects support the novel’s theme of “The Driving Force of Family Unity.” Deza’s last essay of sixth grade is both an introduction of her family members to readers and a proof of their closeness; Deza speaks of each member in glowing terms, and her style and tone express a sense that each Malone would go to great lengths for one another. The letter Deza forges with help from Jimmie represents family unity; they are intent on protecting Mother from the pain of overt racism and unfairness (and meanness and pettiness) in the real letter from Mrs. Carsdale. That Mother knows Deza rewrote the letter but only reveals that she knows months later also represents family unity; Mother accepts that Deza was trying to help and allows her to think she did. Mother’s and Father’s wedding rings are another symbol for family unity; they each wear the ring on a chain around their neck because they have grown so thin from extended poverty that the rings fall off their fingers. The rings and the way they both wear them represent a deep love and commitment to one another and to the family they created that is strong enough to last through times of difficulty.
Motif of Kindness
From Dolly Peaches to Mrs. Carsdale to the prejudiced Flint teachers, the novel includes plenty of characters whose unkindness, heartlessness, or racism create challenges for Deza. Deza often notices, however, that kindness, respect, and openness exist in the world as well. On the road to Flint, Mother, Jimmie, and Deza find themselves relying on kindness from Miss Carter with her savvy information about riding the rails; they also discover kind and helpful homeless men who helped guide and direct travelers. Saw-Bone Zee calling Jimmie “Sir” in camp reminds Deza that for every person who harasses Jimmie for his small size, there are others who hold him in great esteem for his impassioned singing. Mrs. James, the white post office worker in Flint, shows great investment in Deza’s long wait for a letter from either of her missing family members and is genuinely excited for Deza when she begins to hear from “Father.” In a bittersweet scene, Deza herself demonstrates inherent kindness when she shares information with the daughter of the new tenants about the home she loves but must leave.
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By Christopher Paul Curtis
