The Running Dream

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011

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Part 4, Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 4, Chapter 1 Summary

In the early morning hours, Jessica wakes up, pets her dog sleeping next to her, then gets the feeling that she needs to go outside. She wakes Sherlock up and slowly puts on the prosthetic. Although she brings out the Frisbee and tosses it to her dog, Sherlock knows what’s on her mind. He drops the Frisbee and looks at her: “He’s holding his breath. Hoping” (230). Jessica throws the Frisbee again and jogs a few steps, quickly realizing that she can’t run. Determined to try again, Jessica tries to jog ten, then twenty steps. It feels awkward and not right, not like the style of running she knows. She feels “like a lifeless machine moving forward” (232).

After another try, Jessica slows down and just walks, aware that she should be grateful to be able to walk at all. Then she hears a voice call her name and she sees Rosa sitting on a porch. Jessica brings Sherlock over to meet her friend and admits that she was trying to take Sherlock for a run but didn’t succeed. Rosa insists that “You will, though” (233), and then asks Jessica to tell her why she loves to run. Jessica explains why she loves running and racing on the track, and Rosa says that it’s an accomplishment when you cross the finish line, even if you don’t win and even if you don’t earn a medal. Rosa’s philosophy is that the finish line is symbolic “[b]ecause it’s also the starting line” (235).

This realization startles Jessica, a runner who has always concentrated on the end of the process rather than the beginning. The idea that both are “the same line gives me a very strange feeling” (235), and she struggles with reconciling the two lines as one.

Part 4, Chapter 2 Summary

In math class, Rosa continues to send notes to Jessica, to keep her confident and focused. Sometimes she slips notes that contain uplifting statements, such as “Baby steps are blessings” (236) or questions like,“Wind is mysterious. Where does it go?” (237). One day, Rosa asks Jessica, “Running or racing, which would you choose?” (236). Jessica wonders why Rosa spends time considering something that she can’t do, and why she would envision the finish line the starting line as well. Jessica answers that she would choose running and realizes it’s the first time she’s ever thought about it.

Part 4, Chapter 3 Summary

Fewer donations are coming in, so Coach Kyro calls a team meeting and chastises the team for already giving up. Jessica feels awkward and worries that her friends will come to resent her or feel like they failed her because they couldn’t raise a large amount of money. Then he shows them an envelope full of donations, bringing their total to almost five thousand dollars. The team breaks out into cheers. Finally, Coach Kyro tells them that an anonymous patron has offered to pledge one dollar for every dollar they raise, up to ten thousand. That means they have almost ten thousand dollars and are halfway to the goal.

Before the meeting ends, while her teammates are cheering and patting her on the back, Jessica agrees to be interviewed by a local television channel. Kyro encourages her to wear her uniform, and, overwhelmed with emotion, Jessica says she will.

Part 4, Chapters 1-3 Analysis

One morning, Jessica takes Sherlock outside and tries to jog a few steps. She quickly realizes that running on the prosthetic is difficult and uncomfortable, and not really running. She hears a voice call to her from nearby and sees Rosa on her porch. Jessica introduces Sherlock to Rosa, and when she admits to Rosa that she failed to run as she’d hoped, Rosa tells her that someday she will. She encourages Jessica to see the finish line as the starting line, as they are the same.

In math class, Rosa cheers Jessica up by passing her notes with interesting questions or supportive phrases. When she asks Jessica if she’d rather run or race, Jessica, who has never considered the question before, realizes that running is far more important to her than winning.

The next day, Coach Kyro calls the team together to boost their spirits and appeal to them to not give up on the fundraiser. He announces that many donations have been sent to them, and an anonymous donor will match every dollar donated. The team now has almost ten thousand dollars. With Kyro’s support, Jessica agrees to a television interview in her track uniform.