Superfudge

Fudge is the deuteragonist of the novel, or character second in importance to the protagonist. He takes up the stage many times throughout the story. Fudge is four years old when the family moves to Manhattan. He is extremely bright, self-aware, and looks up to his brother immensely. Fudge enjoys the attention he gets from being smart and finds ways to get even more attention by pulling pranks on his siblings and even his principal at school. Fudge values his name and his personhood and defends himself when those things are threatened. Moving to Princeton seems to do wonders for Fudge. He makes his first friend, has wide open spaces to play in, and makes his mark on the new school on his very first day. Fudge even begins riding his bike to school with Peter but pushes it too far when he and Daniel take their bikes to the bakery on the highway. Fudge is dangerously overconfident, and even after he is found and punished, he still insists that he “is old enough to go to the lake” (174). Fudge is a plot-driver and the source of many of the conflicts in the novel and major and minor events that occur. Fudge helps Peter learn patience and the value of having a brother.

Jimmy is Peter’s first and closest friend. He lives in Manhattan and misses Peter immensely when he moves. Jimmy comes from a divorced family, and the divorce was painful for him and his dad. Jimmy’s dad is a painter who is growing in fame, and one of his paintings ends up in a gallery in Princeton—the painting that represented the divorce. Jimmy is an emotional person, like Peter, and gets easily offended when people do not understand how he feels. He and Peter clash because of this similarity, but they always make up. Jimmy has pent up anger because of the divorce, and Peter sees this in him when he admits that he is “really into violence” at the hockey game they attend (147). Jimmy is a fiercely loyal friend, regularly comes to visit Peter, and is always there when Peter needs support. Even when Peter cannot talk to Jimmy, he has a crystal that Jimmy gave him which symbolizes their friendship and which he uses to calm himself down in times of stress. Jimmy is a rock for Peter.

Mom remains a flat character throughout the novel. She is a hardworking woman who spends her time taking care of her family, working to support them, and providing emotional support. She becomes so exhausted at one point that she breaks down in tears. She is often too busy to properly care for Peter’s emotional needs, which causes resentment and anger in Peter. Despite this, she does have a great sense of humor and a large amount of patience for Peter’s tantrums, Fudge’s antics, and Tootsie’s infant demands.

Peter’s dad is emotionally absent and only speaks a few times throughout the novel. He comes across as someone who prefers to lecture rather than discuss, and when Peter tries to question or connect with him, he is quickly dismissed. Peter’s dad originally worked at an advertising agency in Manhattan but made the decision to quit and try to write a book. He wanted to write somewhere quiet, so chose to move the family to Princeton for a year. His book fails and he finds that he cannot write, so when the year is done, the family makes the decision to move back to Manhattan so Dad can go back to work. Peter’s dad acts as a catalyst for one of the biggest changes that the Hatcher family experiences: the move.

Tootsie is the youngest member of the Hatcher family. She is born in the opening chapters of the novel and is one year old when it concludes. In that time, she learns to crawl, walk, and talk, and forces Peter out of his comfort zone on multiple occasions. She also teaches Peter the value of being a big brother; she is different from Fudge and Peter can connect with her more readily. Tootsie is a source of joy and light in the Hatcher household. She gets her nickname from Mom, who started calling her that when she was very small. The nickname caught on and soon became the name everyone used, like Fudge.

Alex is the person that Peter befriends when he moves to Princeton. Alex does not replace Jimmy in Peter’s life but does help Peter adjust to his new living situation. Alex shows Peter how he makes money by digging up worms and selling them to an older lady in the neighborhood. The boys bond over the jokes they share about the worms. They also ride bikes together and Alex shows Peter around town. For Halloween, Alex dresses up as a painting that Jimmy Fargo’s dad painted to symbolize the anger felt by Jimmy’s mom when she abandoned them. He is not particularly empathetic, but his relaxed air allows him to get along with anyone he meets.