Mistakes Were Made

Although Timmy may be the world’s most successful failure, there is one way in which he truly succeeds, and that is in understanding his mother. For the most part, Timmy is self-centered and absorbed in his own world and goals, but the one person he cannot stand to see upset is his mom. Timmy can tell when his mother is stressed or worried about things outside her control by the number of times she rides her Segway back and forth or by her silence when he enters a room. The Unbreakable Bond Between Mother and Son is evident in the way Timmy looks out for his mother and wants to make enough money to help her. Timmy rarely goes out of his way to help others, especially when there is no reward involved, but he will do just about anything to help his mom, including occasionally lying to prevent her from worrying.

The motif of reality versus imagination is used in the story to demonstrate the differences between Timmy’s world and the real world. Timmy is usually absorbed in his imagination and his own goals, and he believes in his imaginary friend Total. Timmy describes Total and his actions in such a way that Total seems real; he eats garbage, ruins notes, and sleeps outside the fence during school. He is also frequently featured in the book’s illustrations, emphasizing just how real Total is to Timmy. In reality, these events are all either something Timmy himself did or the product of his imagination. Timmy’s imagination sometimes gets the best of him and gets in the way of his detective work, particularly when he fails to assume the simplest solution first. Instead, Timmy always leans toward the most outlandish explanation possible and ignores the straightforward answer that is usually laid out for him to see. One example of this is when Timmy starts to suspect that Molly toilet-papered their classmate’s house because he thinks “TP” stands for “tiny person” and not for “toilet paper.” Even when others, like Rollo, point out a more logical conclusion, Timmy resists their interpretation, convinced of his superior investigative skills. His resistance shows that in these chapters, Timmy is still learning how to balance Being Oneself While Being Open to Improving.

In these chapters, the theme of The Destructive Power of Lies is highlighted as Timmy’s lies start to build on each other and get out of his control. Yet he still doesn’t accept responsibility; instead, he resorts to even more desperate acts, and in the process, risks damaging his relationships. He sends Rollo to the bank to do reconnaissance work, but his friend ends up trapped in the safe overnight, which makes him angry with Timmy. Timmy also finds out that Rollo is using Corrina Corrina as a tutor and acts out because he feels threatened and at risk of being replaced. In addition to his conflicts with Rollo, Timmy also has to deal with Molly, who demands his constant attention, distracting him with made-up cases to solve. The novel once again highlights the disadvantages of having a narrow perspective through Timmy: While he constantly focuses on Corrina Corrina and his belief that she is sabotaging him, he misses the fact that Molly is sabotaging him at every turn (albeit unintentionally).

The visual elements of these chapters also continue to work in conversation with the text, highlighting important moments. Stylistic and visual changes are most prominent during the rare moments that the narrative is passed on to another character. The most distinct of these occurs when Rollo gives his account of the day at the bank (because Timmy was too humiliated to do so himself). The borders of the pages in Rollo’s section are thick and black, and the pages themselves resemble those in a ringed notebook. These visual changes give the illusion that Rollo is actually writing in a diary while reminding the reader that this is a different point of view. In addition, Rollo’s language is different—“I try to do mission. Check out place. Find giant room where bank keeps safe” (132)—and his edits are made visually clear as several excerpts are crossed out, showing that he is either omitting certain moments or changing his mind about how to explain them. Rather than just supporting the text, these illustrations add to the story by highlighting the differences between Timmy and Rollo and showing the pressure Timmy has unthinkingly put on his friend.