44 pages • 1 hour read
Steve KlugerLast Days of Summer
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1998A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Pages 130-257Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Pages 130-179 Summary
This section begins with a newspaper clipping regarding the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, who was an isolationist and supported American neutrality during World War II. He is quoted as noting the “Jewish influence” on U.S. media, and implies that events in Europe have been overdramatized: “[I]f war comes, [Jewish-American citizens] will be blamed for it” (130).Joey receives a response from White House Press Secretary Stephen Early, in which he disagrees with Joey’s prediction of trouble with Japan, stating that “the Japanese have no desire to become embroiled in a world war” (131).
In further correspondence between Charlie and Joey, the boy tries to coach the ballplayer through the guttural “ch” sound in Hebrew in preparation for the duo reading aloud to the congregation at the upcoming bar mitzvah. Charlie replies that he attempted to practice this phonic sound while waiting at third base during a game with the St. Louis Cardinals and accidentally spat on the third baseman while doing so. A fracas ensued, with both benches emptied in order to join in the brawl, and Charlie was fined $50.00. Charlie is enjoying an award-winning season and is pleased to be in the company of his close friend, first baseman Jordy Stuke, who is trying to coach the player into interacting with Rabbi Lieberman more diplomatically, as opposed to the last missive sent to the rabbi stating: “Behold. I am sorry if I pissed thou off” (139).The rabbi updates Ida Margolis by letter as to the preparation for the ceremony, noting that Joey has suggested that he be allowed to open his speech “with a few laughs to loosen them up” (137).
A memo from Joey’s 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Hicks, announces a national essay contest sponsored by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on the topic of “If My Father Were President” (140).The author highlights the poignant nature of the boy’s attempts at introductory sentences by including numerous drafts started and discarded by Joey throughout the book, e.g., “How the Hell should I know what kind of a president my father would make? Most of the time I don’t even know where he is” (143). Charlie graciously invites Rabbi Lieberman and his wife to a celebration of Joey’s birthday at a supper club in Manhattan; however, the rabbi declines, noting that they keep a kosher home and would be “a little out of [their] league” (144).The pair also arranges a side bet as to whether Joey will be prepared to give his speech at the ceremony; Charles doubts this, but the rabbi wagers a Kiddush cup that the boy will prevail. Once again, Joey offers a full description of the festive evening at a very popular supper club, Delmonico’s, to his psychologist. He relates that, as a result of this celebration, Aunt Carrie stopped calling Charlie a “shagitz,” or Gentile male. During the high point of the evening, Hazel McKay sang “My Funny Valentine” directly to Joey, and then invited him to sing “I Like New York in June” on stage with her.
Charlie writes to Joey to let him know that apparently their former batboy had impregnated a 16-year-old girl in Missouri, and he casually asks if Joey knows any other candidates. He agrees to have Joey take the job for the summer but insists that the boy will know his Torah reading by heart by the time they play the Chicago Cubs. Charlie writes a contract stipulating the rules of the trip, noting that Charlie will be paid $10 per week of which he can “have $2 of it but [his] mother gets the rest” (151).Fortified by brisket and macaroons provided by Ida and Carrie at the train station, the pair begin the summer tour. When Joey fails to answer the Torah-related questions posed by Charlie in Boston, he misses an outing to the Union Oyster House and is confined to his room as punishment.
In a letter to Charlie, Hazel posits: “[W]hen is somebody going to admit that you haven’t lost a game since you put the kid in a uniform?” (167). While Joey and Charlie are on the road, Hazel spends time with Ida and Carrie. She buys Ida a new dress and brings them to tea at the Plaza, at which time she learns that their father was the mayor of a Russian village prior to the pogroms. Consequently, Carrie writes Charlie advising him to marry Hazel immediately, noting that “a young lady of quality doesn’t come along very often” (169). By the time the team reaches Chicago, Joey is able to answer all Torah questions posed by Charlie, and Joey is brought out with the team as a result. They hear the Glen Miller Orchestra play, and Joey is caught consuming cocktails left on tables by diners when they get up to dance.
The pair takes a day trip to Charlie’s hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. Joey writes Hazel that Charlie was sad during this visit and went to visit his brother Harlan’s grave alone. Joey has sensed a discrepancy in Charlie’s stories about the circumstances under which Harlan died. At times, he claims that it was a pitch that hit his head, while at other times he says that it was a foul ball. Joey pays a visit to the local Bureau of Vital Statistics and steals newspaper clippings detailing the true nature of Harlan’s death. Later in the book, the reader becomes aware that Harlan died protecting Charlie from their abusive father. Joey feels that his own difficulties are put in perspective by this story, noting that “the worst thing that ever happened to [him] was […] [when] Bierman cut [his] face with a Coke bottle” (178).He also notes that Charlie is a caretaker for others, but no one cares for Charlie. Hazel responds that she and Joey will keep this secret between them and that she and Joey will take care of him.
Pages 180-222 Summary
As this section begins, Joey recounts the story of Charlie Banks visiting the Margolis family home for a birthday dinner made by Ida, including the ballplayer’s favorite foods of “orange chicken and potato pancakes” (181).Rabbi Lieberman was also a guest. Joey and Charlie recited their Torah for him, but in the style of jazz singer Cab Calloway, mimicking the performer’s style of including the phrase “Hi-De-Ho” within the recitation. The next letter featured is written by Joey to Eleanor Roosevelt, explaining that he found it necessary to make a few changes in the format required for the essay contest. Joey’s teacher, Mrs. Hicks, asks the principal for instructions as to how to proceed with the unconventional entry. Mr. Demarest responds that “[t]he boy’s personal arsenal includes the National League, the entire Democratic Party, and God only knows who else” (183); he advises her to submit the essay unchanged.
Correspondence continues between Charlie and Joey, and the boy confides his great affection for his classmate, and future wife, Rebecca. Charlie edits a letter that Charlie has written to her, in which Joey asks: “[I]f I say Hi to you in the hall, could you at least say Hi back?” (187). Banks approves of this section, noting: “When they think we are going to cry they make us dinner and take their clothes off” (187).
Joey’s bar mitzvah is held on Oct. 25, 1941, as noted on the invitation sent out by his mother and aunt. Since Charlie has told Joey that he will always do his best to answer any important questions he may have, Joey sends him a list of queries that his research has not answered. Joey asks: “If there really is a God, how come Jews in Europe have to wear yellow stars and Hitler can get away with starving Leningrad and the Titanic sunk?” (191). Charlie answers, “God lets us see Him all the time. He looks like Hazel and Rachel and Harlan and babies and etc. You should of known that already” (191).
Joey keeps a meticulous list of the gifts given him for his bar mitzvah, which range from a gold mezuzah (religious medal) to pairs of socks. Charlie presents Joey with a copy of The Complete Torah with both of their names engraved in gold on the cover. Rabbi Lieberman sends a congratulatory letter to Charlie in which he compliments him on helping Joey prepare his bar mitzvah speech. He includes a silver Kiddush cup, since Banks and he had bet on whether or not Joey would be prepared. In keeping with their entrepreneurial spirit, Joey and Craig had sold tickets to the ceremony at $1.50 each to boys who wanted the chance to see Charlie Banks; however, Aunt Carrie realizes what has been done and forces Craig to return the money. Rabbi Lieberman also remarks: “I trust you saw the tears in his eye when you and I blessed him” (201).
Another report card from the belabored Mrs. Hicks indicates that Joey received A’s in all academic subjects; the Obedience section is marked “N/A.” It is noted that Joey convinced the class that classical writers, including Crane and Shakespeare, were “Communists, racists, anti-Semites” (203).A Brooklyn Eagle headline from Nov. 12, 1943 suggests that war with Japan may be in the offing and announces that Joseph Margolis is one of only 10 winners on Eleanor Roosevelt’s essay contest, although the boy had diverged from the specific topic required for the assignment.
In a subsequent conversation with his psychologist, Joey indicates that he had failed to mention something about his essay: it was titled “If Charlie Banks Were President” (206).He writes: “When I was getting beaten up by bullies just because I was Jewish (which, as you know, is the same thing the Hitler Boys are doing in Europe), Charlie Banks was the one who came to Brooklyn and made them stop” (206). The essay is the belated birthday gift that Joey had promised Charlie and being chosen as a winner results in both of them being invited to a ceremony and reception at the White House. Charlie, who was not a Roosevelt supporter, lays down ground rules for the visit and tells Joey that he should merely read his essay and take his seat during the ceremony. In a low-key paternal manner, Charlie tells Joey that the boy should seek to imitate him more under all circumstances.
Surprisingly enough, upon meeting Roosevelt, Charlie thanks him for ending the Depression and establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps. Additionally, Eleanor Roosevelt presents Charlie with the “Father of the Year” award. Upon receiving his medal from the First Lady, Joey responds, “Thanks, Toots” (217), and dances the rhumba with her during the dinner.
A more somber news headline on December 7, 1941 reports the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces. In a subsequent letter to Joey, White House Secretary Stephen Early indicates that he is unable to allow Joey admittance to the Army due to his age. Charlie sends Joey a Hanukkah card in which he essentially requests the boy’s permission to join the Marines, adding that it will become Joey’s responsibility to protect Hazel, Ida, and Carrie in his absence. In a return Christmas card, Joey argues that Charlie would be of greater use selling war bonds or playing exhibition games for the troops, finally begging to be brought along to serve if Charlie completes his plan. In a final missive to Charlie, Aunt Carrie advises: “[I]f anything should happen to you over there, you won’t hear the end of it” (222).
Pages 223-257 Summary
Joey forges a letter to Charlie, who is immersed in basic training, from Principal Demarest. He notes various symptoms of physical and moral decline and demands that the ballplayer request a transfer to Marine Headquarters in New York City. Charlie knows that the letter is forged, advises Joey that he awaits his signature on a contract of behaviors to be followed, and promises him wonderful activities in New York City during his upcoming leave. The contract stipulates that each will write once per week. Charlie affectionately tells Joey: “You will remember that you are my buddy and even a World War can’t change that” (228). Charlie also reinforces his paternal role: “On Oct. 25 me and the Rabby said a Blessing to you and turned you into a man. I am going to hold you to that” (228). Finally, Charlie makes a heartfelt promise to Joey: “If you get hurt, I will find a way to be there” (230). Another sudden change in Joey’s life is when Craig Nakamura’s family relocates to Santa Monica, California after bigots in the neighborhood throw rocks through their fruit store window and break Craig’s nose and collarbone.
Charlie writes Joey that all the other Marines on his base are getting married prior to being shipped overseas, and he regrets not having proposed earlier. Now, he fears that Hazel will accept “just because [he] might get shot at” (236).Joey’s job is to have Hazel feel that it is her idea that she and Charlie marry. Joey attacks the assignment with enthusiasm by sending her a single red rose under Charlie’s name, bringing her to see four wedding themed movies over the course of three days, and arranging a stop at Tiffany’s Jewelers to casually inspect the wedding rings. When Charlie proposes in a brief telegram, Hazel accepts with typical wit, responding: “Why didn’t somebody tell me Cary Grant was already engaged” (245).
When Joey’s efforts to gain access to the Marine Corps in order to follow Charlie fail, he is awarded a volunteer job at the Reception Center. He learns common military colloquialisms which he teaches Charlie by mail, such as the morning reveille, the “wakey-wakey call” (239), and “Dugout Doug” (240), referring to Gen. MacArthur “from still sitting on his butt” (240).In a return letter, Charlie coaches Joey in the fine art of making conversation with Rachel, advising him to ask her questions to which he already knows the answer and to “[n]ever try to win a fight” (250).
Stuke, Charlie’s teammate, starts to become an increased presence in Joey’s life, writing that he and Joey should both function as the best man for the wedding: “One of us can invite people to the bachelor and the other one can go to it” (247). Joey writes Craig Nakamura in California to let him know that he attended part of the bachelor party at the Metropolitan Club but was sent home when a naked dancer arrived. Joey was able to secure the autograph of Leo Durocher, a famous baseball player of this era, as a gift for his now relocated best friend. Conversely, as wedding plans progress, a newspaper headline from February 20, 1942, reports the relocation of Americans of Japanese descent to inland locations on the West Coast. The article details the belief at that time that many of these individuals were “engaged in sabotage and other fifth column activities designed to weaken the nation’s defenses against Imperial Japan” (251).
Finally, in a session with his psychologist, Joey reviews the events of the wedding. The festivities were held in Brooklyn at Aunt Carrie’s insistence, and Dr. Weston was an invited guest. Joey makes a futile attempt to accompany the couple on the Niagara Falls honeymoon by hiding in a cabinet on the train, but he is found out prior to departure. He desperately wants to keep Charlie from reporting to Camp Pendleton the following day, but Dr. Weston reminds him that it is his turn to stand up for Charlie, as the ballplayer did for Joey at his bar mitzvah.
Pages 130-257 Analysis
One of the primary themes that emerges is that of the number of unlikely soulmates who unite for the well-being of a child. Specifically, Charlie Banks, a Midwestern Protestant, and Rabbi Morris Lieberman, a devout man of Judaism and avowed New Yorker, make the compromises and accommodations necessary to guide Joey, an essentially fatherless boy, through his bar mitzvah. Similarly, when the politically conservative Charlie accompanies Joey, a national essay winner, to the FDR White House, he behaves appropriately and with respect for the office of his hosts, who are his political opposites. A corresponding situation is seen in Charlie’s relationship with Joey’s philosophically liberal mother and aunt, as all parties compromise their political and religious traditions in order to provide a family foundation for the boy. In this way, the author presents Joey as a witty ecumenical ambassador between the two groups.
The horrors of anti-Semitism are introduced throughout the text, initially through Joey’s fear of Hitler and subsequently with news clippings quoting the noted aviator Charles Lindbergh as faulting Jewish-Americans for leading the country into war. While Charlie often struggles to express himself grammatically in written English, his actions speak for his essential moral fiber and honorable belief systems. Specifically, he and his teammate Stuke both leave professional baseball, where they enjoy celebrity status, in order to enlist in the military and protect America from Hitlerian influences. Charlie is aware of the physical and psychological horrors of concentration camps and Kristallnacht, and he is possessed of an innate spirituality. In return, archetypally insular characters such as Aunt Carrie become maternal toward him, and her coconut macaroon cookies and bits of philosophical advice follow him all over the world.
While Charlie was the victim of an abusive relationship at the hands of his own father, he seeks to be a source of comfort, discipline, guidance, and affection to Joey. Charlie, despite his sarcastic exterior, seeks to become the male role model that his late brother, Harlan, was to him. Conversely, Joey, who was victimized by other boys and abandoned by his father prior to having Charlie enter his life, is maturing both physically and emotionally. His bar mitzvah, a coming of age ceremony in the Jewish religion, marks his entry to manhood and is a critical element in the story; Joey will now have the opportunity to reciprocate the care and nurturance given to him by others during his childhood.
