45 pages • 1 hour read
Chris CrutcherDeadline
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 7-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary
In September, Mr. Lambeer assigns a civics project to Ben’s government class. They must choose a topic to explore on their own, with Lambeer’s approval. Then Lambeer comments on Ben’s copy of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Lambeer doesn’t like Malcolm X, and he and Ben get into an argument about him.
During lunch, Ben and Dallas talk, and Ben decides to go to her volleyball game that evening. Afterward, he drops her off at home, but she doesn’t invite him in.
Ben visits Rudy again and they talk about The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Rudy has a copy, too, and starts talking about his past with Ben. Ben is surprised to learn that Rudy used to be a priest but left the church because of differences in opinion.
Ben and Cody prepare for their upcoming Horseshoe Bend match with their team. Their opponent is strong, but Ben thinks it will “be a good game” (90).
Ben has another dream conversation with Hey-Soos. They discuss the future, Ben’s worries about Cody, and his recent conversation with Rudy. Ben asks Hey-Soos questions, too, but he doesn’t give answers easily.
Coach announces that Sooner can’t play in the Horseshoe Bend game because of a broken collarbone (95). He’s a strong player, and the team will have to make do without him.
Chapter 8 Summary
On the day of Horseshoe Bend, Sooner apologizes to Cody for not being able to play in the game. The Wolf brothers then learn that Boomer attacked Sooner when he was drunk and caused his injury. The Cougars board the bus and head out to the game. Ben plays as hard as he can. Coach encourages him from the sidelines throughout the game. Ben was worried that his illness would make him weak, “but it hasn’t” yet (104). He’s invested in the game and doesn’t worry about his mistakes (105). The Cougars win the game. Ben and Cody play well together, and Ben makes an impressive pass. The stands roar.
Ben and Cody talk about getting football scholarships in the showers afterward. Their mom congratulates them when they get home later. She’s also excited about the possibility of Boise State offering them scholarships. Ben realizes that she’s having a manic episode and it will end soon. Ben’s dad assures the boys that he’ll take care of her so they can go to the dance.
Chapter 9 Summary
Ben enjoys his time at the dance with Dallas. He wishes he could make the night last forever and tries to focus on enjoying the moment (116). He also wishes he had more time with Dallas because he feels like he’s falling in love with her. Coach interrupts his thoughts and congratulates him again on the game. He also gives him a new position on the team because of his impressive pass.
Ben spends the night at Dallas’s house, but they don’t have sex. They talk about their feelings for one another and about the future. Ben realizes that Dallas genuinely likes him, and he starts thinking about his prognosis again. Then, Dallas explains why she had sex with him on their first date and then kicked him out. Her uncle raped her when she was a child. She kept it a secret for years because she felt ashamed and tainted (124). She slept with Ben to see how she felt about sex and herself again.
Ben talks to Hey-Soos about Dallas. Hey-Soos reveals that Ben is the only one with whom Dallas has shared her secret. He urges him to tell her the truth about his condition. Ben wakes up and thinks about what to do. Hey-Soos returns when he falls back asleep, and they continue talking about Dallas and love.
Chapter 10 Summary
Ben’s dad confronts him about sex when Ben returns home the next morning. Ben assures him that he and Cody have already had the talk and that he and Dallas were safe. Ben’s dad seems relieved. Then Ben asks his dad if he plans on leaving his mom next year when he and Cody go to college. His dad explains that he’s made a promise to support his mom because he loves her. Ben knows he’s done the same with him and Cody.
Ben is still challenging Lambeer by early October. In class, he continues to bring up Malcolm X and the books he’s reading. Dallas and Cody defend Ben’s ideas when Lambeer gets upset. He often insists that Ben’s points are irrelevant to their class, but Ben insists otherwise. He particularly argues points about race, class, and equality.
At Marla’s, Ben finds a note on her office door saying she can’t work with him anymore because she doesn’t feel comfortable with his decision to withhold his diagnosis from everyone else. Ben is disappointed because he liked Marla but tells himself to move on.
Ben visits Rudy again, and they continue their conversation about Malcolm X, politics, and the church. Ben is surprised by all he’s learning about Rudy.
Chapter 11 Summary
Ben asks Hey-Soos why he hasn’t urged him to get treatment. Ben then admits that he’s afraid and wants answers about life. Hey-Soos encourages and comforts him. He and Ben also talk about experiencing unexpected things and meeting unexpected people.
Football feels more challenging once November arrives. Ben continues to play well. However, Coach warns Ben about pushing Lambeer in school because he can’t stay on the team if he fails his classes. Ben listens to his advice but doesn’t want to give up in class either. He thinks about football and how the team has changed him. He wonders how the upcoming championship will go, too.
Ben starts visiting Dallas most nights after practice. He’s gotten to know Dallas’s four-year-old brother Joe Henry, too. Ben loves watching Dallas and Joe Henry together and often joins in their games.
Ben’s dad confronts Ben when he returns home from Dallas’s one night. Ben has seemed different to him and he wants to make sure Ben is okay. Ben says he’s just growing up (158). In his room afterward, he thinks about Doc Wagner, his prognosis, and his secret. He is still afraid of revealing the truth because of his mother’s condition.
Chapters 7-11 Analysis
When Ben first received his prognosis, he felt something inevitable about the news, as if he always knew that he wouldn’t live a long life. However, the longer that Ben lives with his condition, the more complicated his thoughts about mortality become. As Ben digs deeper into his interests and embarks on a journey of Self-Discovery and Personal Growth in the Face of Adversity, Ben becomes increasingly aware of all that he will lose when he dies. For example, joining the football team has given him a sense of community he has never known before. In Chapter 11, he realizes that on the team, “[y]ou’re part of something and if you do everything you can with whatever talent you have, it’s almost spiritual” (150). Forming connections with his teammates and discovering his own hidden talents has left Ben’s “head and heart [...] full” as the season nears its end (150). Ben is grateful for this experience but also feels sad knowing that he will never be a part of this community again. He experiences similar feelings of grief surrounding his developing relationship with Dallas. The more time that he spends with her, the more attached he becomes. He starts to realize that being with Dallas “might very well be the crowning glory” of his life (117). This is why “the idea of losing that love fills [him] with such deep longing” (117). Ben is actively enriching his own life by seeking out unique experiences and relationships, and the more love he shares with others, the more love he has to lose.
As Ben struggles with The Confrontation of Mortality, he starts “trying to wrangle answers out of [Hey-Soos]” during their dream encounters (94). Hey-Soos has thus far been Ben’s main and most consistent throughway to understanding the complex questions and thoughts that have begun to define his reality. Ben’s dialogues with Hey-Soos throughout these chapters provide insight into Ben’s otherwise concealed emotional experience as he comes to terms with his impending death. While talking to Hey-Soos, for example, Ben admits that he is afraid. Until this point, he has been relatively matter-of-fact about his diagnosis. This simple admission of his fear digs into the deeper feelings behind his calm façade and helps the reader to further understand the character, highlighting The Impact of Secrets and the Value of Transparency. Hey-Soos is a substitute for not only a mentor role but also a friend or family member. Ben’s isolation as he emotionally processes his diagnosis limits the narrative, but through Hey-Soos, Ben can reflect on his illness with another.
Ben’s experiences in Lambeer’s class and with Rudy in the garage additionally develop the novel’s subtextual commentaries on social change and equality. In Chapter 1, Ben asserts that he wants to learn more about his world and speak up for his beliefs. He stays true to this declaration throughout Chapters 7 through 11. Even though he knows that testing Lambeer could cost him a passing grade, Ben continues to take risks and stand up for what he thinks is right. Ben’s “relentless quest to keep Lambeer off-topic” isn’t simply amusing to Ben (134). This new habit also illustrates Ben’s ethical compass and his bravery. Ben “push[es] for equality” in the class whenever he can, because he has learned that not everyone has a voice and that teachers like Lambeer have been actively distorting American history and current events (135). Ben doesn’t have his whole life ahead of him to commit to social change; confronting his mortality has granted him the empathy to advocate for marginalized individuals with the time he does have left.
Ben’s increasingly frequent visits with Rudy also illustrate this facet of Ben’s character. Ben has no responsibility to Rudy, but he wants to befriend and support him anyway because he understands that Rudy is even more alone than he is. The scenes between Ben and Rudy convey the ways in which Ben is both developing as a person and actively striving to put his learning into action. Everything he is discovering about life, death, love, and equality is transforming how he sees the world.
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By Chris Crutcher
