49 pages • 1-hour read
Slugfest
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Symbols & Motifs
Slugfest
As the title of the book, Slugfest is the element around which the novel revolves. The remedial, mandatory summer-school class illustrates The Importance of Context in Determining Fairness. While each of the kids in Slugfest is there for a different reason, none of them feels as though it is fair to be forced to complete gym class. For Yash, this unfairness stems from the fact that the school previously gave him permission to miss gym. By contrast, Cleo missed too much school to pass, and Kaden skipped gym to avoid being taunted in the locker room. Regardless of the reason, the kids don’t want to be in Slugfest, which shows through their disdain for the kid games that Mrs. Finnerty makes them play. Thus, Slugfest also represents how the kids grow, both as individuals and as a team. Yash leads this growth, though he doesn’t realize it until the end of the book. When he chooses to make the most of being stuck in summer school by training for football outside of class, the other kids also get involved for something to do. As the kids realize that they enjoy working together, they start to take an active interest in physical education, and when the slugs decide to participate in the tournament, they become the team that is fully fleshed out by the football games they play. Thus, while Slugfest begins as unfair, it ends as something that brings the kids far more good than bad, showing how even unfairness can have positive outcomes.
Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism is another class offered at summer school, and it highlights The Importance of Context in Determining Fairness. Arabella takes investigative journalism most seriously out of all the characters because her background has made her dedicated to uncovering the truth. After her father left, forcing her family into hardship, Arabella has refused to be taken advantage of, and she believes that the best way to achieve this is through the techniques she learns in investigative journalism. The class also represents the care with which the truth must be handled. After a couple of weeks in the class, Arabella believes that she is qualified to accuse Mrs. Finnerty of being a fraud based on one piece of evidence and a lot of opinions. Instead of using the principles of the class to dig deeper and seek out evidence that doesn’t support her theory, Arabella stops looking for new evidence when she believes she has the truth. Her inflexible dedication to the rules risks needless reputational damage to Mrs. Finnerty and herself. The class also shows how different opinions can clash over uncovered information. When the kids think they have proof that Mrs. Finnerty is a fraud, Arabella insists on breaking the story, while Yash and Cleo argue that it isn’t their place to do so. Altogether, the investigative journalism class offers a platform for the kids to learn to constructively disagree and also highlights the importance of doing research.
Football
Football and the football tournament represent The Need to Keep an Open Mind. For Yash, football symbolizes everything he loves about sports—being part of a team, pushing himself to the limit, and being able to do what he loves on a scale that matters with people who are also good at the game. Thus, when Yash is reduced to having the “slugs” as training companions, he is initially annoyed because he feels like they are holding him back. However, as Yash realizes how much more support the slugs offer than his actual teammates, Yash’s expectations about football change. While he still wants to play on the official team, he starts to understand that having support is just as important as all the other things he wants out of the sport. The football tournament highlights how expectations don’t always match reality. From the first round, the slugs are the worst team on the field, and no one, including Yash, thinks they have a chance. However, as the kids figure out how to use their strengths to their advantage, they realize that doing their best and playing to their strengths offer them just as much of a chance as a trained team. As they advance through the ranks, their expectations for themselves change. They realize that they are playing well and that they do have a chance, which carries them all the way to the final round.
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