The Saturdays

In the first two chapters of The Saturdays, author Elizabeth Enright introduces the reader to her four protagonists: Mona, Rush, Randy and Oliver. By describing their banter, play, and negotiation, the author begins to explore on The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings. The Melendy siblings share toys, books, and playtime in their attic playroom, which they have nicknamed “The Office.” The author describes it as a ramshackle room that is “their pride and joy,” noting that “what it lacked in tidiness it more than made up for in color and comfort and broken-down luxuries such as the couch and the piano” (7). It is also filled with memories of mishaps and accidents, as “Melendy history was written everywhere” (7). The children’s rich history of shared experiences in their special room shows that each child’s core memories—and thus their developing identity—is bound up with the others.

Like many siblings, the Melendy kids bicker and nag each other, but because they depend on each other for entertainment and community, they quickly get over these momentary disagreements. When the kids try to agree on how to spend their dull, rainy Saturday, all their ideas depend on the participation of the whole group: “‘Why don’t we play something? Parcheesi or something?’ suggested Mona. ‘Oh, parcheesi!’ scoffed Randy. Then how about making something out of clay, or drawing, or we might do a play’” (12). The children’s affectionate bond is also evident from their inside jokes and many secret clubs, such as the Mystery-Solving Club and The Tropical Fish Collectors Club. The Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club is their most recent and exciting collaboration. With their shared goal of enjoying independent Saturdays in the city, the children have a good reason to collaborate, pooling their allowances and persuading their father to let them venture out into New York City on their own. The children’s ability to work together and support each other’s ideas reflects their close relationship and makes their plan a success.

The Melendy kids are excited to feel more grown-up and to venture out into the city alone, illustrating The Benefits of Independence in Childhood. Cuffy and their father’s reminders about safety and street smarts foreshadow the coming challenges that will put the children’s independence to the test. The author presents Randy’s first day of independence as an important childhood milestone that fills her with joyful self-confidence. She writes, “But being by yourself, all by yourself, in a big city for the first time is like the first time you find you can ride a bicycle or do the dog paddle. The sense of independence is intoxicating” (25). Beyond being simply fun, the story suggests that these moments of self-directed exploration are essential for building life skills. When Mrs. Oliphant describes her frightening kidnapping as a child, she admits that she was particularly helpless because her governesses had overprotected her throughout her childhood. She admits to Randy, “[M]y sheltered life had taught me nothing of fending for myself or what to do in an emergency” (45). Randy’s day out at the art gallery helps her develop the street smarts and awareness that Mrs. Oliphant was lacking.

In addition to building life skills, the children’s Saturday pursuits also teach them about Finding the Unexpected in the Everyday. Instead of dwelling on their boredom, the children must take the initiative to pursue a new experience and fully appreciate it. In doing so, the kids open themselves up to new experiences. Simply walking to the art gallery and chatting with her neighbor leads Randy to the unexpected discovery that Mrs. Oliphant, whom she and her siblings dislike for superficial reasons, is a kind and generous person who once had much in common with Randy herself. Mrs. Oliphant compliments Randy for appreciating the everyday joys of life. She tells her young neighbor, “[Y]ou have eyes the better to see with and ears the better to hear with. Nobody who has them and uses them is likely to find life humdrum very often” (46-47). This observation captures the children’s curious and open minds as they embark on their adventures.