46 pages • 1-hour read
The Shape of Thunder
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Symbols & Motifs
Cora and Quinn’s Time Travel Plan
Cora and Quinn desperately hope to time travel to change the devastating events that resulted in the deaths of Parker and Mabel. Their desperation to successfully achieve time travel illustrates the immensity of each girls’ grief at the loss of their siblings.
Cora and Quinn’s time travel plan also illustrates Jasmine Warga’s message about Healing Through Human Connection and Hope. Their quest, which brings both Quinn and Cora solace despite its failure, symbolizes the roles that both hope and human connection play in enabling healing. Cora and Quinn achieve a sense of closure at the end of the novel that could not have been achieved without their attempts to time travel. Their hope that the events of the shooting could be changed brings them relief from pain, and their rediscovered friendship provides support and solace to each girl in their grieving journey.
Mabel’s Possessions
Cora wakes up in the hospital after her failed attempt to use the force of the thunderstorm to travel back in time to save Mabel and, after talking with her Dad, comes to terms with the fact that her sister is not coming back. Cora must address the finality of Mabel’s death. This feeling brings a new wave of immense grief, but it also brings a sense of closure for Cora.
Previously, Cora hated it when any of Mabel’s things were disturbed—including her bed or any of her clothes. This illustrated Cora’s reluctance to accept the devastating fact of Mabel’s death. Cora’s newfound closure is illustrated in the Cora’s deciding to pack up Mabel’s possessions from their previously shared bedroom.
Violet Seeds and Letter to Parker
On November 11, the anniversary of the school shooting, Quinn and Cora go into the woods together. At the base of the oak tree where they attempted to time travel, Quinn buries her final letter to Parker and Cora plants violet seeds, since violets were Mabel’s favorite flower. The symbolic act illustrates the girls’ desire to continue to process their feelings and grief and loss together, and to support each other in this process through their friendship. In this symbolic choice, Jasmine Warga emphasizes the importance of Healing Through Human Connection and Hope, a recurring theme throughout The Shape of Thunder.
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