Slacker

“A lot of words have been used to describe Cameron Boxer over the years—goof-off, loafer, shiftless, slouch, lazy blob of protoplasm. Those all said it pretty well, but he was more than that, too. What people couldn’t see was that there was something special about Cam. Yes, he was a slacker. But Cam was a slacker the way LeBron James was a basketball player—through a mixture of rare natural gift and intense practice.”

This description of Cam, provided by one of his best friends, Pavel Dysan, gives perspective both on how people around Cam view him and how those closest to Cam view him. The comparison to LeBron James serves to characterize Cam not just as a slacker, but as a hardworking slacker who will actively put in work to protect his lifestyle. This description explains Cam’s motivations as the novel progresses, even in the chapters that aren’t told from his perspective.

“We all stood around, pretending everything was fine while the mall sucked all the business away from Main Street. No—it was worse than that. We were the customers abandoning our own town and driving to the mall to do our shopping. No wonder the Transportation Department was planning to demolish Sycamore’s crumbling interstate exit, now that there was another ramp a mile and a half down the road to service the mall. Think about that: Our whole community wasn’t worth the cost of a little shoring up and road work.”

Daphne’s assessment of the state of Sycamore’s community sets up one of the overarching conflicts of the novel and introduces the theme of The Importance of Community as well as the freeway ramp as a motif to communicate this theme. The impending destruction of the ramp is an indication of the degrading state of Sycamore’s community. This quote also characterizes Daphne as a caring yet cynical person at the beginning of the book.

“There were times when you were playing a real battle game and you got pinned down, under fire, barely able to stay alive. That was how I had spent this whole face-to-face with Mr. Fantabulous—hunkered down, dodging bullets, trying not to get blown away.”

This quote from Cam describes his first interaction with Mr. Fanshaw after Mr. Fanshaw finally manages to track Cam down in the boys’ restroom. Mr. Fanshaw has cornered Cam and wants to talk about getting the P.A.G. off the ground. Cam relates his trapped feeling to his video games, explaining how he’s doing everything in his power to dodge the responsibility that Mr. Fanshaw tries to give him. This moment reveals the way Cam thinks about his real life in terms of video game scenarios.

“A few online orders could never make up for all the customers lost to the new mall. Even the free-matching-love-seat promotion had been a bust. If I won Rule the World, I’d give the prize money to my parents to help with expenses until things improved.”

Here, Cam describes his parents’ failing furniture business. This description contributes to the conflict surrounding the town’s crumbling community due to the mall’s presence as well as raises the stakes for the Boxer family because of how it affects their own business. This quote also shows a softer side of Cam that wishes to help his parents through the only means he knows how, which is competing in a video game tournament to win money.

“Leave it to Kelly to drum up a third candidate with almost the exact same name as me. She knows half the kids won’t be paying attention when they go to the ballot box. Jordan, Jordana—it’s all the same to them. She’s trying to siphon off my votes. The problem isn’t the sweat; it’s the sleaze.”

This quote from Jordan Toleffsen describes how his opponent in the student body presidential election has roped in a third candidate with a similar name as his to mess with the votes. This information builds on the theme of Cooperation Versus Competition by showing the underhanded tactics employed by Jordan’s competition to get ahead. The competition between Jordan and his opponent is crossing into unhealthy territory as the moves the candidates make become more strategic.

“When you hear ‘positive action’ you picture yourselves saving the world, so gardening is kind of a letdown. But remember—every journey begins with the first step.”

In this quote, Mr. Fanshaw addresses the Positive Action Group during their first official meeting. He’s announced that they’ll be helping with the senior citizens’ gardening project. His speech to reassure them that they are doing good develops the themes of Contributing to Something Greater and The Importance of Community by stressing that the Positive Action Group will be able to go on and do greater things besides just gardening. His decision to help the senior citizens of Sycamore shows how important smaller scale work can be to helping a community thrive.

“That jock, that showboat, String McBean, had to treat everything like it was a competition. There he stood in a blizzard of topsoil, his shovel just a blur, bombarding silver-haired ladies with earth, trash-talking some imaginary opponent. ‘Don’t even bother trying to keep up, losers. It can’t be done.’”

This quote both characterizes String McBean and develops the theme of Cooperation Versus Competition. String’s attitude toward everything he does is to be the best and beat everyone else, even in situations that are not inherently competitive, like helping senior citizens with their gardening project. String’s obsession with competition borders on unhealthy, but his positive approach to the community service shows that even unhealthy levels of competitiveness can be harnessed for good, especially in the context of working together with peers.

“The game app chirped an alert. I ignored it. That didn’t really go with my lifestyle, but by this time, I was really interested to see where the water was coming from.”

In this moment, Cam ignores the sounds from his phone game in search of the source of the water pouring down an apartment building’s steps. This is an important moment for Cam because he has obsessively played video and phone games any time he gets the chance. Cam, who frequently leaves class to play video games in the bathroom, is for once more concerned about something happening in the world around him than something happening in his games. This decision to ignore his game indicates that Cam is capable of personal growth. This decision also leads to Cam and the rest of the P.A.G. saving an old woman’s life—something that would not have happened if Cam chose to ignore the water and continue playing.

“If there was ever a community that needed a boost, it was Sycamore. The word had just come from the Department of Transportation that the rumors were true: Sycamore was losing its freeway exit. It would be a huge blow to local businesses in town, especially since the nearest ramp drew potential customers right into the big regional mall.”

In this quote, Mr. Fanshaw examines the potential impact the P.A.G. could have on Sycamore as it begins to grow to extraordinary numbers. Mr. Fanshaw acknowledges that the community of Sycamore needs help, and part of the threat to the town is the impending demolition of the freeway ramp. This quote helps develop the theme of The Importance of Community by stressing how the community is in trouble. It also shows how the freeway ramp acts as a motif to communicate that theme.

“The lawns were lush, green, and well kept. No soda cans or candy wrappers floated in the fountain. The flowerbeds and bushes were litter-free. So were the walkways, the playground, and the band shell.

‘Check this place out,’ I said. ‘I never realized what a dump it was until I saw it all cleaned up. We did that. It wouldn’t have happened without us.’”

After working with the P.A.G. to clean a local public park, Pavel takes a moment to realize what a difference the P.A.G. has made. Pavel has been indifferent to the P.A.G., unlike Chuck, who enjoys the work, and Cam, who despises the work. This is a turning point for Pavel as he realizes the work he’s done has made a difference. This moment contributes to the theme of Contributing to Something Greater by showing that the efforts of the group have made their community a better place overall.

“Even Chuck was on my case to attend all these things. Chuck—one of my best friends, who knew better than anybody what an un-thing the P.A.G. was supposed to be. He loved it. Everybody loved it. Everybody except the president.”

Cam narrates how he feels betrayed by Chuck because Chuck is enjoying the P.A.G. and all the social events that come with it. Cam resents that everyone loves the P.A.G. This quote shows the irony that Cam is the creator of the P.A.G. while he despises it. This quote also shows the contrast between Cam and the other P.A.G. members who have embraced the message of community service and teamwork that the P.A.G. represents.

“That’s what being a pagger did for me. Before that, everything was about hanging out with Cam and Pavel, eating gummy worms, and playing video games. Now I had a higher purpose—a calling, almost, although it had nothing to do with church.”

In this quote, Chuck explains what the P.A.G. means to him and contrasts it with his life before the club. The personal growth Chuck has had since joining the P.A.G. contrasts the way Cam has not grown at all from the experience. This quote also develops the Contributing to Something Greater theme by showing how fulfilling it is for Chuck to be part of something bigger than himself.

“If it hadn’t been for the support of my fellow paggers, I don’t know what I would have done. That was another reason I was grateful to Cam: He’d created more than a fantastic club; he’d created a community.”

In this quote, Daphne explains why she is thankful to have the P.A.G. With the disappearance of Elvis, Daphne is feeling upset, but she explains that the support of her fellow paggers has helped lift her spirit. The description of the P.A.G. as a community coupled with Daphne’s expression of how much it has helped her through a hard time develops The Importance of Community theme by showing how Daphne leans on her P.A.G. community for support.

“The worst part was that the Positive Action Group was getting blamed for everything while those bullies and jerks from the high school were being let off scot-free.”

Here, Mr. Fanshaw describes the fallout from the Friends of Fuzzy’s sabotage efforts against the P.A.G.’s projects. This quote describes the main conflict between the two groups, showing that the Friends of Fuzzy have been successful with their efforts. This quote also develops the Cooperation Versus Competition theme by showing the damage that unhealthy competition between the two groups is causing to the P.A.G., which has done nothing but work as a force for good in the community.

“‘We were wasting so much energy tearing each other down,’ Jordan confessed. ‘But in the P.A.G., you showed us the power of cooperation.’”

In this quote, Jordan explains why he and his election opponent, Kelly, have chosen to share the role of president rather than compete for it. Jordan acknowledges that the competition had become unhealthy with the two candidates tearing one another down. This quote shows how the P.A.G. helped Jordan and Kelly grow as people. This quote also develops the Cooperation Versus Competition theme by showing that cooperation is a better route than the toxic pitfalls of competing with one another.

“I never finished anything before. Not until the P.A.G. In the P.A.G., we finished everything we started. And when we were done, stuff was different. Not just different. Better. If it worked with the P.A.G., it could work other places too. So this is yours.”

Here, Xavier explains how the P.A.G. has changed his outlook and his habits while presenting Cam with a bowl he made in art class. Xavier, who was previously known as a troublemaker and was only sentenced to the P.A.G. as part of his court-ordered community service, has grown as a person through his time with the P.A.G. and realized that he is capable of finishing the things he starts and making things better through his efforts. Xavier’s character growth is symbolized by the bowl, which he started and completed on his own.

“Collecting coins, or health points, or trophies on a screen just didn’t measure up to the feeling of accomplishment the P.A.G. gave us. And anyway, thanks to Rule the World, Cam had turned into such a tyrant that video games were no fun at all. How could you play at a life-and-death struggle with someone who was treating it like a real life-and-death struggle?”

In this quote, Pavel laments the emptiness he feels without the P.A.G. in his life, stressing the positive feelings he got from it. He also complains about Cam’s attitude toward video games. This quote develops the themes of Contributing to Something Greater and Cooperation Versus Competition. Pavel’s fondness for the P.A.G. comes from the accomplishments they achieved, showing how contributing to something greater can be fulfilling. Cam’s attitude toward the Rule the World competition, on the other hand, has gotten more toxic, and Pavel no longer finds joy in training for the competition, showing how competition can lead to unhealthy tendencies.

“I see you guys rolling your eyes when I talk about Sycamore pride, but I’ve got some news maybe you haven’t heard yet: The Department of Transportation has set the date for the demolition of our exit ramp—this Saturday, eight a.m. A lot of people think it’s going to be the beginning of the end of our way of life here in town.”

This quote is the beginning of the football coach’s motivational speech to the team while they’re down in the final seconds of the game. The coach links the idea of Sycamore pride with the demolition of the exit ramp to show how Sycamore’s community is at stake. This quote emphasizes the theme of The Importance of Community as well as links the ramp to the theme as a motif.

“It was like my eyes were opening for the first time. Here they were, struggling to keep a family business afloat when everything was going wrong for them. They were putting in fourteen-hour days and worrying about where customers were going to come from when the main highway dropped everyone off at the mall.”

Chapter 27 centers on Cam’s personal growth, but this quote is the height of his awareness of other people besides himself. This quote comes after Cam willingly shuts down his video game, despite doing well in the game. He’s decided to be honest with his parents about the origins of the P.A.G., but he realizes that they have their own issues to deal with. The entire novel, Cam has only worried about himself and solving his own issues despite the community service he’s put in with the P.A.G. This instance of becoming aware of his parents’ struggles shows that Cam is growing as a person and learning to care about people besides himself. This quote also emphasizes the significance of the freeway ramp and how it represents The Importance of Community theme.

“And when it began to sink in that this was something that could work, the hum swelled to a roar. We could do this! If we got a big enough turnout, we could stop those bulldozers. And for the P.A.G., bringing together hundreds of volunteers was something that used to happen two or three times a week!”

After Cam makes a speech about reuniting the P.A.G. to defend the freeway ramp, Chuck describes the moment everyone becomes hopeful about saving their community. This quote shifts the tone of the chapter from serious and suspenseful to hopeful and enthusiastic as the P.A.G. realizes that they have the power and the numbers to do something important for their town. This quote develops the theme of Contributing to Something Greater by stressing the power of the P.A.G.’s numbers in relation to the importance of the project to defend the freeway ramp.

“I had absolutely no idea what to do or say. She loved him that much that she was willing to lose—in front of everybody she knew—just to keep him safe. It was the most surprising thing I’d ever seen.”

In this quote, Jennifer Del Rio describes her reaction to Daphne handing over Elvis. The two have been fighting over the injured beaver, causing him further stress. Finally, Daphne decides to hand Elvis over to Jennifer to prevent more harm from being done, despite knowing that Jennifer’s intentions are only to get credit for saving Elvis and not to actually help Elvis. Jennifer’s surprise at Daphne’s cooperation stresses the theme of Cooperation Versus Competition, showing that working together is more important than working against one another.

“It was almost like we were holding the Fourth of July on a little strip of pavement. Kids were hanging out with their families. Neighbors were meeting and greeting. Everything was there except the hot dogs. But it was really tense, too, because the whole party was happening in front of enough heavy machinery to plow us under in about fifteen seconds.”

This quote describes the scene of the entire town gathering on the freeway ramp. There is a duality to the imagery because while everyone is socializing and enjoying themselves, there are bulldozers waiting to strike. This quote captures the theme of The Importance of Community as it shows the way the entire community has come together to show their strength in the face of destruction. This quote also solidifies the ramp as a motif for this theme.

“Hey, I wasn’t abandoning my lifestyle. Still, when I looked around Rule the World—ill as it was—it wasn’t everything. It wasn’t my family, my friends, my school, my town. The Positive Action Group had worked its way into all that. It had started as a hoax, but had ended up the realest thing about me.”

This quote from Cam shows that Cam has grown as a person and learned to branch out from his lifestyle focused solely on gaming. Cam has found a way to maintain his most important hobby while understanding how to be a more well-rounded person and place importance on other things like his friends, family, and community. This quote emphasizes the growth Cam has gone through with the P.A.G., bringing his character arc to a close with his newfound appreciation for life outside of video games.