Walk Two Moons
Summary
Salamanca Tree Hiddle, also known as Sal, is the narrator of the novel Walk Two Moons written by Sharon Creech.
After being forced to move from her farm in Bybanks, Kentucky to Euclid, Ohio Sal makes a new friend, Phoebe Winterbottom. As Sal and Phoebe put together pieces of Phoebe's story, Sal finds herself and connects with Phoebe in more ways than she ever thought possible.
Thesis Sentence: Judgments
In Walk Two Moons the characters make early judgements about some of the other characters including Mrs.Cadaver, Mike Bickle, and Mrs.Winterbottom.
Mrs. Cadaver
The first judgment that was made concerned Mrs. Cadaver. When Phoebe was walking Sal home from her house she told Sal her suspicions about Mrs. Cadaver. "Do you know what I think? I think maybe she killed Mr. Cadaver and chopped him up and buried him in the backyard." (p32) This passage is significant because it shows up throughout the book and leaving readers wondering if she actually killed him. When Sal tries to tell her dad about Phoebe's and her suspicions it goes all wrong. " Her voice is like dead leaves blowing around, and her hair is spooky." (p115) This is significant because it shows that Sal is jealous of Mrs. Cadaver and doesn't want her in her father's life. Mr. Birkway shows up at Phoebe's house to tell them the truth. " Her husband died when a drunk driver rammed into his car." (p218)
Mike Bickle
Mike Bickle was judged harshly from the start. Phoebe tells Sal that her mother doesn't like strangers. "She is convinced that any day one of them will burst into the house with a gun and turn out to be an escaped lunatic." (p42-43) This is significant because Phoebe instantly jumps to conclusions that he's a lunatic. When Phoebe and Sal walk back to the Winterbottom's house they have an encounter with "the lunatic". "It was Phoebe's lunatic, coming right at us, staring right at us. He stopped directly in front of us, blocking our way." (p118) This passage is significant because the girls thought Mike was going to attack them. When Mrs. Winterbottom returns with Mike she divulges the truth about him. "Mike is my son." (p248)
Mrs. Winterbottom
Mrs. Winterbottom was judged about many things since the story began. Sal is at Phoebe's house for dinner and noticed a couple of things. "I got that she was used to being plain and ordinary, that she was not supposed to do anything too shocking." (p31) This passage is significant because it shows that Mrs. Winterbottom is timid and does what she's told. When Mrs. Winterbottom brings Mike home there is a big mix-up. "Was she in love with Mike? He seemed awfully, awfully young---not much older than Prudence." (p247) This is extremely significant because everyone in that room at that time thought that Mrs. Winterbottom was in love with Mike. Then she told them the truth. "George, I know you will think I am not---or was not respectable, but it was before I met you, and I had to give him up for adoption and I could hardly bear to think of it and---" (p248)
Conclusion
There were a lot of misunderstandings about characters throughout the book. Sharon Creech, the author, creates mysteries for the readers to solve and puzzle over. Sal and Phoebe learn an important lesson. They learned not to judge as quickly and not to come to premature conclusions.