81 pages • 2 hours read
Jordan SonnenblickNotes From The Midnight Driver
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 6-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary: “Solomon”
Alex receives community service in a nursing home as punishment for his drunk diving. In Chapter 6, Alex meets his assignment: Solomon, or Sol. As Alex enters the nursing home to begin, he notes the “smell […] the color scheme […] and the PEOPLE” (41), who are a fascinating combination of old people and orderlies. Before finding Sol’s room, Alex has to talk with the nurses, who laugh at his assignment at length, cautioning him that Sol will “eat you up if you let him get an edge” (43).
Alex enters the room and immediately notices the lack of decoration and Sol’s intense appearance, describing Sol as “an ancient, merciless gargoyle” (45). Sol engages Alex in a combative conversation; Alex doesn’t know how to handle Sol’s sarcastic, rude attitude, or the strange Yiddish phrases Sol often uses. Alex feels frustrated by Sol’s constant attacks. As Alex struggles with their conversation, Sol stops breathing easily and the nurses rush in. Alex leaves and immediately writes a letter to Judge Trent asking for another assignment, listing all of the disrespectful insults that Sol directed to him. Judge Trent declines, arguing that “Mr. Lewis sounds like the perfect match for [Alex]” (53).
Chapter 7 Summary: “Plan B”
In preparation for his second visit to see Sol Lewis, Alex has to mentally toughen up. He has an internal dialogue between his “drill sergeant” and “inner coward” (54). The drill sergeant wins, and Alex shows up more determined to win Sol over, trying to discuss the book Angela’s Ashes. Despite Sol’s continued sarcastic banter, Alex toughs it out and the two end up playing poker together. In his post-visit letter to Judge Trent, Alex continues trying to convince her that she should give him a different assignment, explaining that he cannot “teach Mr. Lewis anything” (60) and that he will not learn any “life lesson[s]” (61) through these interactions. Judge Trent encourages him to “keep plugging away” (63).
Chapters 6-7 Analysis
Sol’s cantankerous character is a serious challenge to Alex’s immaturity and nervousness. As the two get acquainted with one another, a core conflict of the novel is developed. Alex finds it difficult to understand how to relate to Sol and even, at times, how to understand the Yiddish words and phrases that Sol uses in his speech. Alex’s initial reaction is to try and avoid the situation through complaining to Judge Trent; she rebuffs each of these attempts. Meanwhile, it seems that Sol is attempting to get Alex to leave him alone by escalating his verbal attacks and refusing to be kind to this young teenager who has been assigned to him. The conflict between Alex and Sol will continue throughout the novel; Sonnenblick hints at the potential resolutions through Judge Trent’s letters, which imply a possible lesson for Alex through this experience.
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