Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Chapters 9-10

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 3-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 3 Summary: “November”

At the beginning of November, Greg’s school announces the beginning of a wrestling unit in Physical Education. To Greg’s horror, the kind of wrestling they teach at school “is COMPLETELY different from the kind they do on TV” (80). Greg has to wear a revealing singlet, and because he is in the lowest weight class, he has to wrestle with Fregley, a bizarre, unhygienic student that Greg usually avoids. Greg decides to try to move up a weight class by gaining muscle, and he asks his parents for “serious exercise equipment, and some weight-gain powder, too” (87). Greg’s parents explain that he has to prove that he has the discipline to stick to an exercise routine, but Greg claims that “if [he] get[s] pinned by Fregley one more time, [he’s] gonna have a nervous breakdown” (89). He decides to make his own weight set out of milk and juice jugs (which he got from the fridge and emptied) filled with sand, but after a disastrous workout session where Greg uses Rowley to test the equipment—Rowley needs help getting the barbell off of his chest after Greg startles him in a prank—Greg abandons the idea of working out.

Greg blames a girl named Patty Farrell when he flunks a Geography quiz because she tells the teacher that he should “cover up the United States map before [they] got started” (94), making it impossible for Greg to cheat. He says that he will “definitely be looking for a way to pay her back for that one” (94). One day, Greg’s mother discovers the school will be performing The Wizard of Oz for its winter play, and she signs Greg up in hopes that the experience will make him more “well-rounded” (96). Greg sees Patty Farrell auditioning for the role of Dorothy, and he decides that he wants to be a tree because they get to throw apples at Dorothy, and “Getting to peg Patty Farrell with apples in front of a live audience would be [his] dream come true” (100). However, Greg discovers that the trees don’t have arm holes in their costumes, so he won’t get to throw apples at Patty after all. He tries to do his role poorly so he’ll be cut from the play, but “when you only have one word to say, it’s really hard to mess up your lines” (102).

Chapter 4 Summary: “December”

As opening night approaches, Greg notes that “nobody had bothered to learn their lines” (103) because the teacher has been whispering them to the actors during rehearsals, and now he and the other trees have to sing a song. The students have been told that the play will be a “semi-formal occasion” (105), which is a relief for Greg because he knows Roderick would never wear a tie for such an event, so he won’t be in the audience. During practice, one of the trees falls and chips his tooth, so the trees are given arm holes. On the night of the show, Greg discovers that Rodrick is in the audience, and Greg supposes that his brother “couldn’t resist the chance to see [Greg] embarrass [him]self” (107). When it’s time to sing the tree song, Greg realizes that Rodrick is holding a video camera, and he refuses to sing. The other trees follow his example, and instead of singing, Greg decides to throw apples at Patty Farrell. The play has to stop when “Somebody knock[s] the glasses off of Patty’s head, and one of the lenses [breaks]” (113). Greg’s family is furious, but Greg “hope[s] that everyone who came to see the play was as entertained as [he] was” (113).

As Christmas approaches, Greg says that he only wants a video game called Twisted Wizard. The Heffleys send a gift to a person in need each year, their “Giving Tree guy” (119), and this year Greg’s mom buys a wool sweater as a gift. On Christmas day, Greg counts on his Uncle Charlie to give him the Twisted Wizard game, but Charlie gives him “an 8 x 10 picture of Uncle Charlie” (124). Greg’s dad brings him into the garage and shows him “a brand-new weight set” (125), but Greg has lost all interest in weightlifting.

Finally, at the end of the night, Greg’s mom gives him one more package. Greg opens it to find the wool sweater his mom bought for the Giving Tree guy. They realize there was a mix-up and Greg got the sweater while the Giving Tree guy must have gotten the Twisted Wizard game. Greg goes to Rowley’s house, and Rowley gives him a Big Wheel tricycle, which Greg doesn’t really appreciate because he thinks it’s a younger kid’s toy. On New Year’s Eve, Greg is sent to his room after Manny tells their mom that Greg made him eat a spider, and when Greg tries to explain that it was only “a tiny black ball of thread” (133), his mother doesn’t believe him.

Chapters 3-4 Analysis

November and December show Greg in a series of situations that make him uncomfortable, such as the wrestling unit in school and the school play. Greg, like many middle school students, is uncomfortable with his body, and he decides to focus his energy on building muscle so he can move up a weight class and not have to wrestle with a kid that makes him even more uncomfortable. However, like most of Greg’s ventures, he quickly becomes bored with the idea of sticking to a regular workout routine. When he tries to build his own weight set, the reader gets a clear picture of how Greg tends to manipulate Rowley and forces his friend into uncomfortable or even dangerous situations. Rowley is almost injured while trying to use Greg’s weight set, and instead of helping him Greg turns his back on his friend in the name of “helping” him get stronger. Greg has a mean streak, and he enjoys watching Rowley struggle. Greg takes advantage of Rowley’s innocence and trusting nature, much like Greg’s older brother Rodrick took advantage of Greg’s trust by showing up to the play with a video camera. By mistreating Rowley, Greg feels some sense of power over another person, and as the novel continues, Rowley seems to grow tired of Greg’s poor treatment of him.

Greg’s feelings of powerlessness are put on full display when it comes to the school play. Greg did not want to be in the play, but his mother made him sign up. Greg did not want to sing in front of an audience, but his teacher wrote a song for him to sing. On the night of the show, Greg sees Rodrick recording him, and he panics. Although Greg’s behavior on stage ruins the play, it is born out of the all-too-familiar fear of embarrassment that seems to dictate the lives of middle school students everywhere. Just as Greg strives for popularity, he also actively avoids any situations that might lead to his humiliation. Greg is convinced that if he can attain popularity, he will never have to deal with feelings of embarrassment again, and he will be safe from public humiliation.