Double Fudge

“I prayed no one from my class was at the store. No one who knows me or has ever known me. No one I might meet someday who would say, Oh yeah…you’re that kid with the weird brother who threw the fit at Harry’s.”

Embarrassment is always at the forefront of Peter’s mind, and the moment things start to go south in Harry’s shoe store, Peter begins to imagine the public humiliation that might follow. Peter has witnessed Fudge’s public tantrums before and has no desire to put himself through that again. He makes his quick escape from the shoe store, which shows that he is willing to abandon his family to escape embarrassment.

“You know how smart Fudge is. You know he’s very mature for his age.” 

Peter laughs when his mother says this, but there is plenty of truth in her statement. Fudge’s behavior might annoy Peter, but he is a very insightful little boy. Fudge has a big imagination and thinks creatively, often expressing himself in ways that perplex his family.

“I hope I never see [Jimmy’s mother] again because if I do, I’ll tell her exactly what I think about what she did to Jimmy. And don’t tell me there are two sides to every story, like Mom does, because I’ve seen Jimmy’s side up close.”

Although Peter’s parents are still married, Peter has had a front-row seat to the nastiness of divorce, thanks to Jimmy’s parents. As Jimmy’s best friend, Peter was there for him through his parents’ separation, and he saw firsthand the pain that Jimmy felt when his mother left and didn’t return. Peter used to like Jimmy’s mom, but now he feels genuine anger for what she put his best friend through.

“There’s no such thing as a simple trip downtown with my brother. He turns everything into a major production.”

Fudge has a track record of getting into mischief, and as a result, Peter knows that any trip with Fudge is bound to have some hiccups. When Fudge loses one of his shoes on the subway, Peter is unsurprised. Even something as simple as wanting to visit his friend across town becomes an ordeal, and Peter dreams of the day when he will be allowed to ride the subway by himself.

“Underwater watches, home entertainment systems with huge TV screens, digital cameras, telescopes so powerful you can see Venus. A water trampoline bigger than his room and mine put together.”

With Fudge’s obsession with money comes an obsession with material things. Like any young child, Fudge loves toys, and more money would mean he could have any toy he wants, just like his friend Rich. However, Fudge chooses toys based on what looks cool, and he doesn’t pay much mind to the practicality of his choices. To Fudge, it doesn’t matter: More toys mean more fun, regardless of how illogical they are.

“[N]o matter how much money you have you aren’t necessarily happy.”

Peter’s mother worries about Fudge’s obsession with money. However, instead of sitting Fudge down and asking him hard questions, she turns to Peter and asks him if he understands that money won’t necessarily bring him happiness. Peter assures his mother that she and his father didn’t do anything wrong, and Fudge’s fixation isn’t a reflection of their parenting.

“First of all, young man, you need to get a good education. Then, when you’re grown up, you need a good job [...]. And by the time you’re my age, with luck, you’ll have a nice little nest egg for your retirement.”

At the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Fudge’s questions about how to obtain large amounts of money do not amuse the crowd. One man goes so far as to give Fudge this advice about working hard and saving his money diligently. Fudge, however, is not interested in this long-term goal, and he decides that he would prefer to have someone give him lots of money instead.

“You have the Hatcher jaw and the Hatcher eyes and if I didn’t know better I’d swear you must be a Hatcher!”

The arrival of Cousin Howie and his family signals a significant shift in the story. Peter and Fudge both notice that Howie and Mr. Hatcher look like they are related, and Howie’s jovial greeting at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving quickly turns into a surprising (and somewhat unwelcome) family reunion. Peter’s father seems perturbed to see his cousin after all these years, and when Howie starts calling him “Tubby,” it is easy to understand why Mr. Hatcher considered lying to Howie and pretending to be someone else.

“You can call him Farley or you can call him Drexel or you can call him F.D., but you can’t call him Fudge!”

Fudge is surprised to learn that his younger cousin shares the same first name as him: Farley Drexel. However, when Flora and Fauna discuss the possibility of calling their little brother “Fudge,” he loses his cool and insists they are not allowed to copy his nickname. Peter is amused because last year when their family lived in New Jersey, Fudge’s teacher said the same thing: “Fudge” was not an appropriate name for a little boy.

“Up with the sun [...] and asleep with the moon. You’ll hardly know we’re there.”

Although Howie insists that he and his family won’t take up much space, nothing could be farther from the truth. The New York Hatchers’ apartment is not meant to hold 10 people, and with the Hawaii Hatchers sleeping on the floor of the living room, eating their food, and preventing them from watching television, the New York Hatchers slowly start to lose their patience. Still, Peter’s parents are too polite to say no to their long-lost family members, and Peter has no choice but to go along with the arrangement.

“Uncle Feather’s lost his voice and Fudge has been talking for him. I caught him in the act.”

Peter grows suspicious when Uncle Feather starts talking only at night and only when Fudge is in the room. Peter spies on Fudge and catches him pretending to be the voice of Uncle Feather, and as the story comes out, Fudge bursts into tears because he thinks he accidentally hurt Uncle Feather. Fudge is scared and desperate, and he didn’t want to get in trouble, so he lied.

“If we had a million trillion bucks we could find a vet who would know how to fix him.”

Fudge is so upset about Uncle Feather losing his voice that he begins to look at money differently. Fudge believes that money can fix everything, including Uncle Feather, but his parents remind him that some things can’t be fixed with money. Blume nods to this again when Rich waves a five-dollar bill in front of Uncle Feather’s face and tries to bribe him into talking again. The attempt is pointless, and no amount of money will cause Uncle Feather to speak again.

“Just because they’re divorced doesn’t mean I want either one of them to marry someone else.”

Jimmy’s relationship with his parents is complicated. Although Jimmy’s parents always fought when they were together, he still hopes they will get back together. When Jimmy’s father starts dating Beverly and plans to marry her, Jimmy realizes that his parents aren’t getting back together and his world will change permanently.

“I could feel the anger boiling up inside me. Any second I would burst and it would come pouring out like lava from a volcano.”

Peter has always tried to be even-tempered to balance out Fudge’s wild tendencies. However, Peter reaches his breaking point when the Hawaii Hatchers fall asleep on his living room floor and fill his family’s bathroom with their belongings. Peter feels trapped and helpless, and his anger hits a boiling point.

“Cousin Howie’s parents were wonderful. Dad spent the whole summer with them. And for a while he and Cousin Howie were as close as…well, you and Jimmy.”

When Peter’s father was a child, his mother got sick, and he spent a lot of time with Howie and his family. This detail about his father’s childhood explains that although Mr. Hatcher and Howie have a strained relationship as adults, they were once very close, and Mr. Hatcher is grateful to Howie and his parents for supporting him when he was going through a tough time. Just like Jimmy needed Peter to get through his parents’ divorce, Mr. Hatcher needed Howie when he was dealing with his mother’s illness.

“I knew what was coming. I knew the Natural Beauties would be laughed off stage before they finished their first song.”

Peter is sure that the entire school will see what he sees when Flora and Fauna perform: two strange girls who like to embarrass themselves. Just like Peter worried that his classmates would tease him for his shoes, his absence from school the year before, and his little brother’s tantrum in the shoe store, Peter thinks the student body will be cruel towards Flora and Fauna. However, as it turns out, Peter is the only one who seems to think there is anything strange or embarrassing about his cousins’ performance.

“With the Natural Beauties out of the way, Mini started talking for himself.”

Flora and Fauna claim they talk for Mini, so he doesn’t have to speak for himself. However, as soon as his big sisters aren’t around to talk over him, Mini begins to speak for himself. Peter is so surprised that, at first, he thinks Fudge is talking for Mini the same way he talked for Uncle Feather.

“Never mind the furniture…we have to protect Uncle Feather.”

When Peter returns from walking Turtle in Chapter 13, he finds that chaos has taken over the apartment. Even though Howie and Eudora are the adults, Peter is the one who has to take control and help stop Uncle Feather from hurting himself. Peter doesn’t get angry with anyone, but he focuses on getting the bird to safety, and he impresses Howie with his focus and maturity.

“[Mini] laughed like crazy, sounding exactly the way Fudge did when he was that age. He was even starting to look like Fudge. How come I never noticed that before?”

The novel’s title, Double Fudge, alludes to this connection between Fudge and Mini. In addition to sharing a legal name, Mini also behaves as Fudge behaved as a toddler. The resemblance is uncanny, and Peter feels as if he is seeing double: two Fudges, one small and one more grown up in comparison.

“So even though we’ll be separated by ten floors, we’ll still be together for another six weeks.”

When it looks like the Hawaii Hatchers are finally leaving for good, Howie hits the New York Hatchers with the news: They are moving out of Peter’s family’s apartment but will still be nearby in the same building. Although this is an improvement, Peter still dreads going to school with Flora and Fauna and nearly faints when he hears the news.

“That’s Peter Hatcher. He’s related to the Heavenly Hatchers. He is soooo lucky.”

Flora and Fauna stop coming to Peter’s school, but they are far from forgotten by the student body. One night, a girl from Peter’s school asks if his cousins will be returning. When Peter says no, the girl is disappointed, and as Peter turns to leave, he hears her tell her parents that Peter is lucky to be related to Flora and Fauna. Peter is annoyed, and although Flora and Fauna didn’t humiliate him after all, Peter isn’t sure how to feel now that he is known around school as “that kid who is related to the Heavenly Hatchers.”

“I was beginning to see how this worked. Cousin Howie said No to everything. The Natural Beauties begged and pleaded. Eudora was usually on their side. She had to present the case very carefully to Howie. But in the end, the Natural Beauties almost always got their way.”

Although Howie portrays himself as the patriarch of the family who makes all of the decisions, Peter starts to notice that Eudora has her own ways of getting what she wants, just like Flora and Fauna. They know how to appeal to Howie’s logical side, and Eudora is strong enough to put her foot down with Howie when she needs to. The Hawaii Hatchers are like any other family with their own system of getting what they want, even if their lifestyle differs from that of the New York Hatchers.

“I give thanks that Uncle Feather can talk again, and that his wing is better, and that I’m smart, and Mom and Dad love me best.”

Earlier in the novel, Mrs. Hatcher tells Fudge that he should be grateful for things like health, family, and love. When Fudge is asked to give thanks, he initially says he is thankful for money. However, upon his parents prodding, he changes his answer to include a few other things that can’t be bought with money, much to his parent’s approval.