Dead End In Norvelt

“Oh mercy! Miss Volker, what have you done to yourself?”

Jack’s cry heightens the comedic scene where he believes Miss Volker is burning off her hands in a pot of scalding water. The diction—“oh mercy”—reinforces Jack’s character. He’s conscientious and aware that he shouldn’t use curse words.

“That UFO must have zapped him with a ray gun. He’s a freak! One of these days he’ll flip his lid and hurt someone, so stay out of his way.”

Dad uses offensive, stigmatizing language (“He’s a freak!”) and idiomatic expressions (“flip his lid”) to describe Mr. Spizz. The statement “That UFO must have zapped him with a ray gun” is hyperbolic, as it exaggerates his threat to an absurd level, assuming that aliens altered him. Despite its humorous tone, it also serves as foreshadowing. Mr. Spizz will “hurt” people later in the novel, which makes Dad’s warning to “stay out of his way” apt.

“Maybe we should use the money to make our lives better right here. We could fix up this house—modernize it and stay put.”

Mom and Dad reveal The Force of Community. Dad feels the compulsion to leave the community and fly away, whereas Mom feels obligated to stay in Norvelt, evidenced by her desire to “modernize” the house and “stay put.” She wants to stand by it and help improve the residence.

“‘You and I are building a runway out back and we need that field so we can fly anywhere we want at any time.’ ‘Cool. What about the bomb shelter?’ ‘We’ll get to that later.’”

This exchange between Dad and Jack is comedic, as Dad’s belief that he can build a runway and fly anywhere at any time is fantastical. The flippant response about the bomb shelter is also ironic. It reveals that Dad’s contempt for Russia and communism is performative. If Dad were truly worried about a Russian attack, he would build the bomb shelter now. Instead, he dismisses Jack, evidenced by the minimizing phrase “We’ll get to that later.”

“Bunny was a great girl who was better than any guy I knew because she was tough, smart, and daring. Because she grew up in a house full of dead people she wasn’t afraid of anything.”

Jack presents Bunny as a positive role model. She has traits that Jack lacks. While Jack is timid and anxious, Bunny is “smart” and “daring”—qualities that he thinks make her better than “any guy.” In the story, the female characters (Bunny, Mom, and Miss Volker) have a mostly positive influence on Jack, while the male characters (Dad, Mr. Spizz, and Mr. Huffer) are often problematic. In this way, Gantos subverts dominant gender norms that assume that girls and women are weaker.

“[A]ll I could think about was my twitching sphincter. I was trying to open it just a tiny bit so a whisper-thin stream of gas would noiselessly escape into the air and stealthily warn the deer without Dad knowing it was me.”

Jack’s graphic account of trying to fart so that the deer would run away is an example of scatological humor. The scene is also endearing, as it showcases Jack’s sensitivity and aversion to violence. Jack didn’t want his father to kill the animal, so he concocted a plan “stealthily” to allow the deer to escape.

“Well, what about you come back in two weeks. Yeah, two weeks will give me time to wrap up my business, say all the goodbyes I care to say, and then I’ll be ready to meet my husband in heaven. Will that fit your calendar, Mr. Reaper?”

The scene between Jack and Mrs. Dubicki is an example of comedic irony. The twist is that Jack dresses up as the grim reaper. Since Jack is unthreatening, he makes death less scary. Mrs. Dubicki continues the charade by speaking to Jack as the grim reaper and scheduling her death as another everyday obligation, where she must “wrap up” her business.

“‘Which do you think is more deadly? Past history or future history?’ ‘Future history. Each war gets worse because we get better at killing each other.’”

Using History as Guidance, Dad tells Jack that war will only get more violent and destructive. Dad’s opinion proves accurate, as the contemporary use of drone bombs and technology gives countries like the United States the ability to kill people anywhere in the world. More so, drone technology allows countries to attack enemies without necessarily using soldiers. Thus, for one side—the side with the developed technology—wars are less deadly.

“‘Mr. Spizz. Doesn’t he bug you?’ ‘Yes. But in a small town you have to forgive people for their faults no matter if you want to or not.’”

This exchange between Jack and Mom reflects the force of community. In a “small town,” people must live together, so they have to figure out a way to tolerate one another regardless of their “faults.” The quote indicates that communities compel people to get along or, at the very least, accept one another’s inevitable presence.

“[P]erhaps now we have had the plague’s modern advance scout—a Hells Angel—come to Norvelt. What infection did he bring? What curse, disease, or epidemic has he unleashed in our town? Beware! Death has reached our doorstep!”

Miss Volker’s obituary about the Hells Angels member highlights her hyperbolic characterization, as she compares the man to an “infection,” “curse,” “disease,” and “epidemic” unleashed on Norvelt. Additionally, the multiple exclamation marks reinforce her theatrical constitution. This phrase further highlights Miss Volker’s penchant for overdramatization, evidenced by the statement “Death has reached our doorstep,” which personifies death as someone who can arrive at a specific location.

“I’m really not that nice. Deep inside I’m wishing that they would all drop dead and then my duty to Eleanor Roosevelt would be over.”

At the time, Miss Volker’s remark seems inconsequential. Once the murder mystery genre gains momentum in the later chapters, however, Miss Volker’s statement here serves as foreshadowing.

“Hey, I wear the pants in this family, so don’t you be a smarty-pants.”

Here, Mom creates laughter by playing off her job in the pants factory. She works at the pants factory, so she wears “the pants,” and she doesn’t want her son to turn into a “smarty-pants.” At the same time, the phrase indicates Mom’s power in the household: She, not Dad, is in charge.

“But Godmother Roosevelt came to the rescue. She made sure people had real houses—little New England—style houses—and they had bedrooms and a living room and a useful kitchen and a bathroom with a bathtub, and even a laundry room with a washing machine.”

Eleanor Roosevelt symbolizes a deity. Miss Volker regularly presents her as a god who can do no wrong. Her hyperbolic acclaim distorts Eleanor’s influence. Though married to the president and able to influence, she had no official role in the government, nor did she create or implement the policies that led to Norvelt’s founding. However, Miss Volker isn’t misleading Jack when she tells him that Eleanor advocated for nicer houses complete with features like “a useful kitchen,” “a bathroom with a bathtub,” and “a washing machine.” As a result, the community renamed Norvelt in her honor.

“Most all of what I say is true. But if you don’t know your history you won’t know the difference between the truth and wishful thinking.”

Miss Volker admits that she distorts history to make it align with her wishes. Her confession reveals that she’s not trying to trick or deceive Jack; she wants to tell a compelling story. Her admission occurs while speaking laudably about Thomas Jefferson. Miss Volker leaves out a lot of negative aspects about Jefferson, including his ownership of enslaved people, racism, and classism.

“History isn’t dead. It’s everywhere you look. It’s alive.”

Jack’s declaration links to history as guidance. Since the past instructs people and informs them, it’s the present. Yet acknowledging that history is “alive” alone doesn’t produce change. The novel indicates that people must use history to alter the present, which is what Jack does when he stops dropping water balloons on people at the novel’s end.

“Well, look who decided to be a man for a change.”

Bunny, like Miss Volker, jokes about Jack not acting like a “man.” However, as Jack grows assertively and Miss Volker fixes his nosebleeds, Jack grows into a “man.” In the novel, masculinity isn’t a trait only available to boys and men, as Bunny, Miss Volker, and Mom all act like capable, confident “men.”

“‘I thought you were a Hells Angel.’ ‘I used to be. But fighting all the time and being really drunk and nasty got boring. So now I just take care of animals.’”

In the last chapter, Jack realizes that history doesn’t have to repeat itself. Earlier, the farrier already demonstrated the lesson. Rather than continue the violence of the Hells Angels (where fighting and being drunk was the norm), the farrier broke the “nasty” cycle, left the gang, and started doing something helpful by caring for animals.

“‘My dad needs a job. I mean, it’s been good that I’m making money on the cookies but it’s not enough to keep us going. Everyone in Norvelt would have to eat about a thousand cookies each day in order for us to get by.’ ‘I’d eat a thousand cookies. If you’d stay.’”

Mertie-Jo’s family reveals the pressures of capitalism and the limits of community. Norvelters can help her family’s financial situation some, but they can’t give her family the money they need to live decently. Jack’s insistence that he’ll eat “a thousand cookies,” a non-realistic suggestion, emphasizes his desire to help. Despite posing a ridiculous number, he does so because he has a crush on her and wants to assist.

“‘He’s like one of those flying aces from World War I who would just throw the bombs at their targets like hand grenades.’ ‘Or he is like a mentally ill criminal who should be locked up!’”

As Jack and Mom watch Dad fly in the plane, they have contrasting interpretations of the scene. The dramatic differences produce juxtaposition. While Jack perceives him as “one of those flying aces,” Mom believes that Dad “is like a mentally ill criminal who should be locked up.” This statement, while offensive, displays how she does not idolize war.

“I don’t want it to be a museum. I want it to be a shining city on a hill—an example of what a Roosevelt community should strive to be.”

Miss Volker showcases the force of community with her intense commitment to Norvelt’s growth and progress. She also asserts her knowledge of history when referring to Norvelt as a “shining city on a hill”; this phrase alludes to the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop, who declared, “[W]e shall be as a city upon a hill.”

“A word to the wise. Things are going to change around here.”

Jack’s interaction with Mr. Spizz is condescending. Mr. Spizz treats Jack like he is less-than. Since Mr. Spizz is an antagonist, the “change” is foreshadowed as bad. At the same time, Mr. Spizz exposes his overconfidence and ineptitude. Things do “change” because Mr. Spizz has to run away after he confesses to the murders.

“[S]he retreated to Norvelt where she married Mr. Droogie, who was best known as a clown at children’s birthday parties and was famous for his sense of humor—and Mrs. Droogie became famous for her laughter. They were a perfect couple.”

The obituary for Mrs. Droogie reinforces the idea that people don’t need widespread fame or acclaim to live meaningful lives. Mrs. Droogie, a violin “prodigy,” realize that she was fulfilling her parents’ wishes, not hers. As a result, she married a clown and became known for “her laughter.” Despite not having fame, the obituary underscores that they found happiness in Norvelt.

“I loved that deer. It never did anything wrong in its entire life except to be in the wrong place. History could be like that, especially for the innocent.”

Jack uses history as guidance to help him sort through his feelings about the deer that Will killed. Like many of history’s innocent victims, the deer’s death was a product of time and geography—being “in the wrong place” despite never doing anything wrong.