50 pages • 1 hour read
Lisa GraffLost in the Sun
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Fire
The image of fire in Trent’s chest functions symbolizes Trent’s volatile rage and anxiety. This symbol is introduced in Chapter 1 when Trent is upset by Jeremiah’s accusatory tone when demanding the baseball back. Trent describes an internal fire that “start[s] like a ball in [his] chest” and evolves into “[h]ot, prickly fire skin, all over” (11). Trent’s fire causes him to act impulsively, which leads to him escalating the conflict with Jeremiah. Trent’s fire also causes him to argue with his dad at dinner, leading to Trent storming out to walk home, “clenching and unclenching [his] fists to try to work some of the fire out of them” (28). Trent’s quick-to-ignite fire leads to many interpersonal conflicts, with fire symbolizing both the physical symptoms of rage and the way that it can spread quickly and aggressively.
His fire begins to manifest more violently as the novel progresses. In Chapter 8, Trent responds aggressively when Annie reveals a prank to the boys’ mom. He narrates, “The fire in my chest was burning hot” (106), before throwing his bowl across the table in anger. Trent’s violent behavior peaks in Chapter 14 when he confronts Jeremiah at the movie theater. Trent describes punching Jeremiah over and over “because the burning in [his] knuckles [i]s better than the burning in [his] chest” (180). This underlines the idea that this fire needs to be released, though Trent doesn’t have healthy coping mechanisms until Ms. Emerson has him start watering plants. This fight has repercussions with Trent’s family and friendships, and fire develops the idea that rage, like fire, can be destructive and hurt a lot of people.
In the latter half of the book, Trent works on containing the fire and not allowing his rage to control him. In Chapter 23, when Trent encounters Jeremiah at the movie theater again, he describes feeling “fire again. But instead of letting it radiate out to [his] arms, my legs, my everything, [he] clenche[s] [his] fists tight and [does his] best to stop it” (258). Although Trent feels the spark of rage inside, he does his best to control how he reacts to it. Rather than create conflict with Jeremiah, he apologizes for the fight. Trent’s control of his inner fire symbolizes his newfound control over his rage and how he reacts to it.
Watering Plants
Watering plants is a symbol that emerges in the second half of the novel after Trent’s fight with Jeremiah. Trent, at his lowest point and lost about how to fix things with Fallon, seeks Ms. Emerson’s advice despite his negative feelings toward her. Ms. Emerson explains that “when people are angry […] there are often things you can do to cool them down a bit” and advises Trent to water her plants (202). This creates a physical practice that symbolizes this “cooling down,” with water being a calming element (in contrast to Trent’s fire). Each day, as Trent leaves Ms. Emerson’s room, she tells him, “The plants will be thirsty again tomorrow” (203). This deepens the commonalities between plants and relationships—both need constant nurturing and care or else they will die of neglect.
Through watering Ms. Emerson’s plants, Trent comes to understand it as a symbol of making amends and applies this to other areas of his life. In Chapter 22, when Trent goes to ask Fallon’s dad for forgiveness, he starts by saying, “I wanted to water your plants” (247). He goes on to say, “It doesn’t have to be plants. It can be anything” (247), showing how he acknowledges that acts of consistency and service are what’s important, not the literal action of watering plants. By having Trent water Ms. Emerson’s plants while improving his interpersonal relationships elsewhere in his life, the novel develops plant watering as a symbol of the effort it takes to make amends and earn the trust of people one has wronged.
Trent’s Book of Thoughts
Trent’s Book of Thoughts is a symbol that’s heavily featured in the first half of the book as Trent struggles with the dark, anxiety-riddled thoughts that have plagued him since Jared’s death. Trent narrates that his counselor at his elementary school gave him the Book of Thoughts “so [he] could write [his] thoughts down instead of having them all poking around in [his] brain all the time and bothering [him]” (6). Trent’s Book of Thoughts, therefore, symbolizes his overactive brain and his inability to move past his trauma and guilt.
At the end of Chapter 1, Trent reveals the nature of his drawings in the Book of Thoughts. Trent explains that “every page, the whole five volumes, [a]re all […] Jared Richards” (16). Trent draws pictures of Jared dying in other ways—like falling off a tightrope, getting crushed by buffalo, or getting eaten by a shark—because then Trent wouldn’t be responsible for his death. Trent thinks, “If Jared really had been smushed in a buffalo stampede […] probably everybody would like the kid they met today” (70). By drawing pictures of Jared dying in ways that don’t involve him, Trent seeks to unburden himself from the guilt that makes it hard for him to think of anything else.
In Chapter 16, after writing less frequently in his Book of Thoughts because he “[doesn’t] have too many thoughts” (204), Trent dramatically disposes of the book. At the lake where Jared died, Trent skips rocks “[i]nstead of thinking” (204). When there are no more rocks, Trent turns to his Book of Thoughts: “I don’t know why, but I picked it up, and I threw it, as hard as I could” (205). By throwing it away, Trent signifies that he’s ready to move on and stop thinking constantly about Jared’s death.
In Chapter 23, Trent purchases a new Book of Thoughts while trying to figure out how to make things right with Fallon. He “[begins] to think things through on paper” in a more positive way (255). In Chapter 24, Trent draws many pictures of Fallon, and “[t]he more [he] [draws], the more [he] figure[s] it out” (264). Trent presents Fallon with a Book of Thoughts full of drawings of her, symbolizing how she has helped him move on from the guilt and trauma of Jared’s death.
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