Walk Two Moons
By: Sharon Creech
Summary
Salamonca Tree Hiddle begins a road trip with grandparents to reunite with her mother. Sal is a 13 year old farm girl who has moved from Euclid, Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho. As she talks about Phoebe and all her experineces and unexpected news, Sal realizes she has a lot in common with her, and learns to just let go. This life changing experience is only the beginning when she sets out to find not only her mom, but herself to.
Thesis Sentence: Judgement
Throughout the novel Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech misjudges three characters because they are so busy holding onto the past, they they don't know what it's like to "Walk Two Moons in their moccasins." These misjudgements are later proven wrong.
Mrs. Cadaver
Mrs. Cadaver is constantly judged in Walk Two Moons because Phoebe has a very vivid imagination and gets lost in a world of her own. She's always snooping around and spying on Mrs. Cadaver, her next door neighbor. Phoebe gets very suspicious when she sees Mrs. Cadaver holding a shovel. "I have seen her chop down trees and lug the remains clear across her backyard. Do you know what I think? I think maybe she killed Mr. Cadaver and chopped him up and buried him in the backyard." (page #32) Phoebe thinks that Mrs. Cadaver is capable of killing her own husband. Later on Phoebe had spotted Mrs. Cadaver pointing at the rhododendron bush then at the axe. "Then Mrs. Cadaver gouged and prodded and tunneled around in the dirt until the poor old rhododendron bush flopped onto its side." That night Sal had talked to Mrs. Cadaver and asked her if she was going to marry her father. She said, "He's holding onto me because I was with your mother and held her hand in her last moments." (page #271) It was that moment that Sal realized Mrs. Cadaver was the only survivor of the bus accident and how she was with her mother the night she died.
Mike Bickle
Mike Bickle is a very strange man in Phoebe's mind and as soon as he walks up the steps of her house, she knew she was in for some mischief. When the strange knocked on the door, Phoebe wasn't sure if she should have opened it, but she did. She saw a tall man about 18. "He isn't wearing any socks." (page #44) Phoebe judges almost everyone she sees about their appearance. The next day Phoebe saw the "lunatic" - as she calls him- again. She rushed as fast as she could all the way home and locked all the doors. While she sat there thinking, Phoebe started to wonder, "What if the lunatic did not seem quite so threatening." (page #248) Phoebe has started to open up and so has Sal. They could have called the police or told Mr. Winterbottom, but they didn't. Mrs. Winterbottom had gone away for a while to straighten things out, and when she came back she had returned with the "lunatic." Her whole family was asking questions. Then Mrs.Winterbottom had finally said "Mike is my son." Phoebe was so mad, but Sal wasn't. She realized that it's ok to change because people change all the time.
Mrs. Winterbottom
Mrs.Winterbottom is a housewive of two children, but soon becomes a housewive of three. "On the bench was Phoebe's mother, kissing the lunatic." (page #235) Phoebe had thought that she was cheating on him with her dad, and she became so furious she walked all the way home and said nothing the rest of the day. When her mother had returned, she had brought the lunatic home, and that's where all the chaos went down between her and Mr.Winterbottom. As he was shouting at Mrs.Winterbottom, "It sounded as if she was Mrs.Supreme Housewive." But she was always tyring too much to be spontaneous, "She had tried very, very hard all these years to be perfect, but she had to admit she was quite unperfect." (page #247) Mrs.Winterbottom tries to be noticed and liked more by her kids and husband, but when she makes nice meals, her family does't even thank her. When she tries to have a nice conversation, it always turns into a fight.
Conclusion
In Walk Two Moons the author, Sharon Creech, uses judgement to help Sal learn that you don't need to blame others if you have lost someone close to you. The author leaves clues about three of the characters in the story and makes you wonder what will happen next. Theres lots of suprises, misfortunes, and misunderstandings, but Sal always finds a way to come through.