Walk Two Moons
By Sharon Creech
Summary
Mike's True Identity
Sal and Phoebe run into Mrs. Partridge, a blind, old woman who happens to be Phoebe's neighbor. Mrs. Partridge then says to Phoebe,
"'Oh, Phoebe, I think I met your brother.'
Phoebe said, 'I don't have a brother.'"
Mike had accidentally knocked on Mrs. Partridge's door instead of the Winterbottom's door. Mrs. Partridge had then asked to touch his face and felt similarities to Phoebe's face. Another time is on page forty-three, when Mike knocks on the Winterbottom's door when Sal and Phoebe are home alone.
'" Is this 49 Gray Street?' the young man said.
'Yes,' Phoebe said.
'So the Winterbottoms live here?'.................. The young man said, 'I want to see Mrs. Winterbottom, is she here or what?'"
This happened after he had accidentally knocked on Mrs. Partridge's door and he had found the right door. He asked if he could talk to Mrs. Winterbottom because she is his biological mom. Phoebe doesn't know this and suspects of him being a lunatic.
Sal's Mom's Death by Bus Accident
"As we approached each curve, I could see us smashing straight on into a bus or camper. Every time I saw a bus, I watched it sway. I watched its tires spin dangerously close to the gravel on the road's edge."
Sal has already been told her mother died in a bus accident, but refuses to believe it. This leads to Gram and Gramps taking her on a road trip to see her mother's grave. This is why she is afraid of going over the edge of a cliff and fears for every bus on this road. Another clue is very early in the book, on page 5. This is where Sal lists the reasons for going on this trip.
"1. Gram and Gramps wanted to see Momma, who was resting peacefully in Lewiston, Idaho.
2. Gram and Gramps knew that I wanted to see Momma, but I was afraid to."
The author said ".....Momma, who was resting peacefully in Lewiston, Idaho." Most people only say "resting peacefully" if they mean the person passed away.
Gram's Death
"'It's a water moccasin, isn't it?' she said. 'It's a poisonous one, isn't it?' ......... ' I do believe it has had a snake out of my leg.' Being bitten by a poisonous snake when you are a grandma can never lead to a good ending. On page two hundred twenty-five, Gram, Gramps, and Sal are in a hotel near Yellowstone and plan to go to see Old Faithful the same day. Although, Gram couldn't sleep the night before.
'"Did you ever go to sleep?' I asked.
'No,' she said, 'I didn't feel like sleeping. I can sleep later.'
While at first, Gram saying "I can sleep later" appears to mean sleep the next night, it can also mean sleeping when dead. This part shows that Gram knows that she is dying but decides not to tell Gramps and Sal yet.