Flipped

Eggs often symbolize growth and resurrection in literature. In Flipped, however, the author first uses an egg motif to point out Bryce’s frustrated and conflicted interactions with Julie. Bryce forewarns readers that eggs become the stuff of nightmares for him when he witnesses the boa constrictor making a meal of them; next, eggs from Juli become a blight on his conscience; then, his lies and cover-up regarding the eggs come back to haunt him through his grandfather’s heavy gaze and the threat of exposure. He knows that his comments about Julie’s home when the truth about her eggs comes out only make matters worse: “I had egg all over my face, and blaming it on her yard had done nothing to wash it off” (81). As she starts the fence repairs, the eggs still weigh heavily on his mind: “[…] I saw my head as the recipient of her hammer, cracking open like Humpty Dumpty” (86). Bryce feels so threatened by the truth of his poor choices regarding the eggs that he confesses all to his mother before the dinner party.

Contrastingly, Juli’s connection to eggs is positive and connotes success and control. She manages to bring all six chicks from her egg incubation project into the world; she follows through with the responsibility of raising the hens and is rewarded with plenty of eggs. She sells the eggs to Mrs. Stueby, who repeatedly offers rave reviews, support, and payment. Juli might expand her business with a rooster at one point. The only negativity Juli experiences with eggs is Bryce’s doing: She discovers his lie and suffers his insulting comments about her property. Juli, though, is not one to cower in the face of conflict, and the truth about the Loskis’ eggs is what drives her to improve her front yard. Juli and Bryce eventually each see that the other deserves to be seen in a new light, and their discovery begins (fittingly) with the eggs that come between them. Consequently, the egg motif supports the theme of “Seeing Individuals for Who They Really Are.”