34 pages • 1-hour read
Better Nate Than Ever
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Chapters 9-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapters 9-10 Summary
This summary section includes Chapter 9: “Explanation Time,” Chapter 10: “Buying Clothes with an Aunt I Barely Know.”
Nate is shocked to see his mother’s sister, Aunt Heidi. Heidi explains that Anthony came home early from his track meet, found Nate missing, and forced the truth out of Libby. He immediately called his aunt in New York, asking her to retrieve Nate and bring him home.
Heidi and Nate’s mother Sherrie have been estranged for years. Heidi once had Broadway dreams of her own and left Jankburg for good. Despite being hired for a few commercials in her early years, she never succeeded on the stage and now works as a waitress. Initially, she is resistant to the idea of letting Nate stay for his audition, but she sees the same love of theater in him that she once felt. Finally, Heidi agrees to help him: “‘We’re getting you a new outfit’ [...] ‘No nephew of mine is auditioning for E.T.: The Musical in that outfit’” (81).
Nate and Heidi sprint to a nearby Old Navy store, where the former tries on a sweater and jeans that fit him well. Heidi pays for the outfit, and the two climb into a cab to make it back to the studio before Nate’s audition group is called. In the cab, Nate confesses that he would like to go to an Applebee’s while in New York. Heidi dismisses the idea and says, “The only reason to even be here […] the only reason to deal with all the hassle […] is to also exploit the good stuff. And the good stuff is the local restaurants and the culture and junk” (89). Exiting the cab in a hurry, the two get back to the studio just as Nate’s group is called to audition before the show’s casting director and his staff.
Chapters 11-14 Summary
This summary section includes Chapter 11: “It’s Not Like in the Movies,” Chapter 12: “Returning Home a Sopping Soldier in Tight New Clothes,” Chapter 13: “An Outrageous Turn of Events,” Chapter 14: “Moving Ahead: “I Know Several Portions of Hamlet.”
The audition room makes Nate feel depressed, with its “Wild, blinking overhead lights, and the reek of a root cellar (in a bad way), and floor-to-ceiling mirrors that force you to stare yourself down” (92). The casting director introduces everyone on his staff as the children line up to be inspected.
Nate is demoralized upon realizing everyone else brought an instrument or some special skill except him; one girl even performs a tap routine and spins on her head. When it is Nate’s turn to be interviewed, he says his only theatrical skill is walking on his knees; he learned this trick for his and Libby’s private show of Fiddler on the Roof. Unfortunately, Nate’s new jeans are too tight to perform the trick. The casting staff plans to take a lunch break with callbacks at two o’ clock. Before they leave, they announce the children whom they will be calling back, and Nate isn’t on the list.
Although Heidi sympathizes with Nate’s dejection, she is determined to get him on the next bus back to Pennsylvania. Before Nate boards, he briefly charges his dying cell phone. After Heidi leaves, Nate gets on the bus. Turning on his phone, he hears a patchy message from the casting director explaining that he should have been on the callback list. Nate is requested to return at two to sing and demonstrate his knee-walking routine.
Nate immediately gets off the bus before it leaves the terminal. Heidi is already gone, but he goes back to the discount clothing store to buy a pair of loose shorts for his audition. He returns to the casting crew, and his playful behavior seems to charm everyone. Nate thinks, “This is either going extremely well—like, they’re going to write an entire new role into the show, the Mayor of E.T.’s planet or something, for me—or will go down as one of the great audition disaster stories of all time” (128-29).
Nate gets through his song nervously because the tempo is too fast. Then, he is asked to perform a monologue; no one told him that this would be required. When Nate says he knows several scenes from Hamlet, this offends British choreographer, Garrett Charles, who berates him for not understanding the time period in which E.T. is set.
Off the top of his head, Nate echoes the impromptu monologue that he used earlier that day to get on the bus unaccompanied by an adult. His monologue amuses the casting crew. Much to his surprise, Nate is given a few script pages to study. He will be called back in 10 minutes to read the part of Elliott and demonstrate his knee-walking routine.
Chapters 9-14 Analysis
Heidi’s arrival is the catalyst for examination of the theme of The Courage to Dream. Nate is surprised to learn that his aunt once dreamed of acting on the stage. Like her nephew, Heidi fled Jankburg to realize this ambition. However, Heidi has become discouraged by years of rejection and doesn’t want her nephew to suffer the same heartbreak. She tries to talk Nate out of auditioning, but he persists in his desire to try. His determination seems to kindle a spark in Heidi. Although she still intends to get him home on time, she relents long enough to buy him new clothes. But even with a better outfit, Nate isn’t selected for a callback. While Heidi is sympathetic, she projects her own past failures onto Nate and insists on sending him home.
Despite his disappointment, Nate continues to believe his destiny is on the stage. He briefly revives his dead phone and receives a message to return to the studio. Although Heidi is now gone, Nate exits the bus, buys himself a pair of audition pants, and appears before the casting crew once more. Nate demonstrates his singing talent, but his inexperience with audition requirements makes him stand out in a negative way—with him even receiving a lecture from the choreographer. Yet again, Nate’s determination to pursue his dream asserts itself, and he launches into an impromptu monologue that captures the spirit of Elliott’s character. For the first time, Nate’s odd behavior allows him to stand out in a positive way, impressing the casting crew. More importantly, he has stumbled into the proper context in which his unique qualities can be valued.
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