Superfudge

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1980

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Friendship

Peter has two close friends throughout the novel: his old, longtime friend Jimmy Fargo, and his new friend Alex Santo. The emotions that Peter experiences before, during, and after the move are particularly clear in his interactions with Jimmy. Peter and Jimmy get in an argument and “two hours later, [Peter] was still thinking up ways to get back at him” (41). Peter also acts indifferent about Jimmy’s parents’ divorce, being unsure how to react and worrying more about whether his own parents would divorce too. The crystal that Peter has is a gift from Jimmy, and Peter promises not to use it until he gets back to Manhattan. The promise does not last long; however, Peter uses the crystal to connect to home, his friend, and to help himself fall asleep at night: “I concentrate on it until my eyes get this heavy feeling and want to close” (41).

Alex is the first friend Peter meets in Princeton. Alex helps Peter cope with all the changes around him and takes his mind off the problems at home. The boys spend time digging up and selling worms and riding bikes together. Alex regularly remarks that Peter’s family is strange, asking Peter “is your family always like that?” (69), but he accepts them regardless.

Fudge makes a new friend in Princeton as well. Daniel is a bold child who gets Fudge into even more trouble than Fudge would normally get into. He is outspoken and insistent on getting his way, telling everyone he meets “I don’t eat anything with onions” (147). Fudge wants to be like his brother Peter and models his relationship with Daniel after Peter’s relationship with Alex. When he sees the two boys riding bikes together, Fudge wants to do the same. When the boys go to school together, Fudge wants to go to school with Daniel. Fudge takes this too far by riding with Daniel to the bakery alone, terrifying both their parents. Fudge learns a sense of responsibility and ownership for his actions through his relationship with Daniel when his bike is taken away for a month as punishment. Daniel, on the other hand, learns nothing and tells both his and Fudge’s mom “we had a good time, so ha ha!” (174).

Responsibility

Peter and Fudge both learn a great deal about responsibility during their year in Princeton. Fudge starts kindergarten, makes a new friend who gets him in serious trouble, and gets a new pet bird. When the family first moves to Princeton, Fudge is very young, has no responsibilities, and possesses a very narrow image of the world. Slowly, his parents give him more responsibility. When he learns to ride his bike well, they let him ride it to school with Peter, Alex, and Daniel. Fudge does well in school, and his mom offers to get him a “special treat” as a reward (78). Fudge takes good care of his bird, Uncle Feather. His increasing responsibility forces him to mature, and Peter starts finding him more tolerable and occasionally even enjoyable to be around. This brings the two boys closer; Peter is able to spend quality time with Fudge and teach him things he thinks Fudge ought to know.

Peter is already a fairly responsible child, having learned to take care of his brother and his pet dog Turtle. Peter matures during his year in Princeton. He spends more time as a big brother, takes care of his baby sister Tootsie, and bonds with Fudge. He also enters sixth grade, has a lot more freedom to go off on his own with his friends, and even has a couple of romantic interactions with a girl in his class. Peter is resistant to the increased responsibility at first, but by the time the year is up, he has fully embraced it. He seems to recognize the change in himself, such as when he observes that his “mother and father were surprised when [he] told them [he]’d take Fudge trick-or-treating” (107).

Pets

Pets are a key motif in Superfudge, acting as driving forces behind Peter and Fudge’s growth and lessons in responsibility and patience. Peter cares deeply for his pet dog, Turtle. He walks him, picks up his poop, and sleeps with him at night. Turtle is Peter’s first real taste of responsibility and caring for something smaller than himself. Peter regularly draws comparisons between Tootsie and Turtle, noting the way they sleep the same, howl the same, and how they eventually become friends. Fudge admires his older brother and wants to get a pet of his own. Fudge wants a bird and decides on a myna bird that can talk. Even though Fudge is only four years old, he takes good care of his bird and even brings him for show and tell. Uncle Feather learns to say all kinds of things, but “bonjour, stupid!” (103) is his favorite. Peter’s patience is tested by the bird’s constant talking and repetition, which reminds him of Fudge. The bird becomes a member of the family, and while Peter remains indifferent towards it, it is a meaningful part of Fudge’s life. For Fudge, the bird also represents something that is just his own, something that he can count on to provide him with attention and love when he lacks it from his family.