37 pages • 1 hour read
Gary PaulsenLawn Boy
Fiction | Novella | Middle Grade | 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.
Symbols & Motifs
Capitalism
Capitalism is a motif that drives the plot, plays off the boy’s dry humor, and expounds the story’s themes. As a plot device, capitalism allows the boy to expand his business, earn a profit in stock, and yield spectacular results. The boy’s stock market investments create comedic irony by steering the plot in outrageous directions. Nobody expects a young, naïve boy, who doesn’t even make his own investment decisions, to make $480,000 in the stock market. The more preposterous the boy’s situation becomes, the more amusing the outcome.
Capitalism also provides a framework around which the boy learns responsibility and expands his influence.
To specifically emphasize the capitalism motif, Paulsen uses lengthy and jargon-filled chapter titles that middle grade readers would not understand immediately. This tactic places the audience more firmly in the boy’s shoes: The author uses big words to present concepts that will be simplified, as Arnold does for the boy. The chapter plots themselves are easy to absorb, and upon reviewing the chapter titles in hindsight, readers can guess the meanings of particular words or phrases. For example, Chapter 5 is titled “Labor Acquisition and Its Effect on Capital Growth” (26). It introduces Pasqual, who agrees to supply the boy with workers to grow the business (labor acquisition). The agreement is that the boy will collect half of his contractors’ earnings (its effect on capital growth). The textbook-style titles play off the boy’s desire for simplicity, while also contributing to the off-beat atmosphere that springs from combining early adolescent boys and economics.
The Lawn Mower
The boy receives a lawn mower for his 12th birthday and his whole life changes. Even though the mower instigates the boy’s success, it symbolizes the boy’s humble background and familial connections. The mower doesn’t have bells and whistles, yet it does the job well: It is “Very old, low, small. […] It steered with two levers, like a very small bulldozer, and looked more like a toy than a mower” (5). The outward appearance of the mower matters little because of how well the boy maintains the machine—so well, that the boy’s mowing business turns an impressive profit even before his stock market wins.
The boy inherits the mower from his grandfather, explicitly associating the machine to his family, who similarly appear unremarkable from the outside, but value integrity and compassion, which the boy carries through every situation. The mower also represents the boy’s desire for simplicity. The throttle levers on the mower are labeled with images of a rabbit and a turtle: fast and slow. The boy reflects, “Everything should be like that. Highway signs, posted signs in the hallways at school. Turtles or rabbits. It’s so simple” (17). The boy prefers a straightforward world with self-evident instructions, similar to the way his family lives. The mower links the boy’s success back to his roots and reflects the uncomplicated life he desires.
Arnold’s Iced Tea
When the boy visits Arnold’s home, Arnold makes “some kind of hippie iced tea that tasted sweet but, he said, had no sugar in it” (23). The “hippie” tea matches Arnold’s odd 70s style and emphasizes the stockbroker’s mellow demeanor. Appearing during or after strange events or conversations, Arnold’s iced tea is an unconventional business meeting refreshment, so it adds a quirky detail to an already unpredictable plot. Simultaneously, the tea adds an element of homey comfort to the boy’s evolving situation. Economic concepts are often intangible; the stock market handles virtual money and investors buy shares of a company they may have never seen physically. The tea grounds overly abstract conversation as Arnold and the boy sip it mid-conversation: While the boy presses Arnold for information about his $50,000, the broker responds: “‘What are you talking about?’ [Arnold] sips his tea. ‘Man, I like this tea. It comes straight from India, you know’” (42). The tea interruption is mostly comedic, but breaking up a highly consequential clarification adds realism to the scene.
Related Titles
By Gary Paulsen
