Slob

“I go to Martha Doxie School in New York City. A three-story redbrick nightmare of educational progress.”

Owen provides an ironic description of the school he attends, with the contradiction between nightmare and progress suggesting the school he attends is unsuccessful in its mission. His description also alludes to the multi-layered social interactions that are central to the narrative.

“Exhibit A: My missing Oreo cookies.”

Owen’s legal language is a humorous allusion to the genre of the novel. As a mystery, the crime is the focus of the action, and Owen’s introduction sets up one of the story’s central conflicts.

“That’s the thing about Andre Bertoni. I can never tell if he’s being nice or mean. I often think I should hate him, but somehow he makes it difficult.”

Set within the theme of Power, Negligence, and Bullying Behavior, Owen’s observation demonstrates how a lack of social awareness and sensitivity can lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding resulting in emotional distress. Owen is uncertain about the intentions behind Andre’s comments, and he is hurt by the casual insults to his body.

“He thought no one knew what he was up to. That just deep-fried me.”

Owen uses comparisons between himself and food or food preparation throughout the novel. He uses the comparison to illustrate his extreme anger toward Mr. Wooly’s abuse of power in gym class. It is another indication that Owen relies upon food to address emotional issues.

“That was another thing about the Martha Doxie School—they prided themselves in enrolling kids who didn’t fit in at mainstream schools, including bona fide psychopaths, like Mason Ragg.”

Owen’s comment about the school he attends points out the irony of a school that prides itself on acceptance while teachers and students bully children such as Owen, Jeremy, and the members of GWAB. Owen demonstrates the same judgmental attitude in his description of Mason, stereotyping him as violent because of his appearance, using hurtful words to describe the issues he may face. This is an early example of Owen’s unreliability as a narrator.

“Jeremy didn’t cut her hair. I don’t know how she got away with it, since GWAB is pretty strict.”

Jeremy’s hair and membership in GWAB at first seems like an aspect of characterization. Instead, Owen’s comment about the exception for membership to GWAB is actually central to the mystery of the disappearing Oreos since Jeremy reveals that she took the Oreos to avoid cutting her hair.

“Things have been a little topsy-turvy for us these past two years—new school, new apartment. New life.”

This is the first allusion to a significant change in Owen and Jeremy’s lives. It suggests a larger mystery beneath the surface of the story. These references thread through the narrative as clues for readers to unravel, becoming clear only at the conclusion of the novel.

“Our embarrassing secret is out there for everyone to see, spilling over our belts, flapping under our chins, stretching the seams of our jeans.”

An example of grotesque imagery, Owen establishes the emotional significance of the imagery that appears in the final phrase of the sentence. The explicit imagery of his body makes the reader aware of his body, combining to develop Owen’s grotesque characterization.

“‘He’s being sarcastic, Zelda,’ Jeremy said. ‘Besides,’ Mom said, attempting to ignore her, ‘you were thin once. I’ve seen the pictures.’”

In an example of juxtaposition, the author references Zelda by her name and by Mom. This contrast suggests a measure of emotional detachment between Jeremy and Zelda, since she does not refer to her in the same manner as Owen.

“Jeremy would have stood her ground even if it meant getting thrashed.”

An ironic example of perspective, Owen is unaware that Jeremy has already given into peer pressure to join GWAB. He elevates Jeremy’s positive character traits in the same way he assumes she elevates his intelligence, when neither is assumption entirely accurate, making this another example of an unreliable narrator.

“After I left Nima, I was in a much better mood. My stomach had lost that empty feeling, and the sound of Mr. Boscana’s voice was no longer ringing in my ears.”

Owen first mentions his state of mind followed by a reference to his hunger and a need for food. The contrast between mental and physical descriptions highlights the connection between the two and acts as further evidence that Owen is binge-eating as a result of emotional trauma and repression.

“SLOB. I knew the handwriting so well—the neat, round curves, the slight hook on the top of the L. My right hand held the paper and my left hand pressed against my stomach. It’s funny how things can hurt and feel good at the same time.”

The first time the word SLOB appears in a novel by the same title, SLOB is a significant reference. Following the reference with a description of Owen’s stomach and his conflicting emotions alludes to the connection between his obesity and the death of his parents.

“‘Our mother and father took us on the Circle Line one time,’ Jeremy said.”

Jeremy refers to her mother and father while talking to Zelda in an example of literary epiphany, or a moment of sudden revelation in a story. This reveals that Jeremy’s use of Zelda’s first name is not just an example of their strained relationship, and addresses the death of their parents for the first time.

“Everything had changed in a minute between us. She no longer thought I was a better person that I actually was.”

Owen learns that Jeremy does not see him in the way that he assumed she does. This moment reveals his unreliability as a narrator by demonstrating the flaw in his perspective. The challenge to his assumption is a necessary step in forcing Owen to face his issues rather than continuing to avoid them, making it key to his character growth.

“That’s right. You guessed it. My frickin’ Oreo cookies were gone.”

This is an example of direct address followed by the use of dialect, or language written to indicate speech. Both techniques encourage a conversational tone that develops empathy and understanding between Owen and the reader.

“‘Which is really just a fancy term for blechh!’ Jeremy said. Then added, ‘Sorry Mom.’”

After the climax, the remaining open-ended situations in the novel begin to resolve. In this instance, Jeremy calls Zelda “Mom” for the first time, demonstrating her acceptance of Zelda as family.

“Things are pretty lousy, if you want to know the truth. I’m the butt of everyone’s jokes, someone is helping themselves to my lunch, and Mr. Wooly is going to humiliate me in front of the entire class.”

There are few explicit descriptions of bullying in the novel. This example alludes to an upcoming emotional epiphany within Owen’s arc of identity development, which is about acceptance and recovery.

“I knew what she was going to say—that even if the murderer was caught, people were not going to stop making fun of me. That I would still be 57 percent fatter than the average American twelve-year-old.”

This is an important moment of character growth within the theme Revenge, Forgiveness, and Acceptance. Owen explicitly connects the effects of his coping mechanism with his repressed trauma, suggesting he is nearing acceptance of the issue. It also highlights the social context and stigma surrounding childhood obesity as well as bullying.

“I had really misjudged Mason. He was actually a pretty nice guy.”

Moments of revelation such as this are important plot developments in a Bildungsroman. It is a demonstration of Owen’s character growth and identity development, accepting that he can be wrong without experiencing a crisis of identity regarding his intelligence.

“When you are looking down the barrel of your own imminent pain and suffering, you can’t help but feel relieved that you have someone to share it with.”

Owen’s commentary reveals the significance of the grotesque imagery and characterization in the novel. This an overt or didactic moment when the author uses literary elements to explicitly address major thematic elements.

“With a few bold snips of the scissors, she had cut us all out, along with her hair—Mom, Dad. Me.”

Owen recognizes Jeremy’s hair as a symbol of courage and their family. Because of this symbolism, he regards her decision to cut her hair as a betrayal and a personal rejection. He misreads the situation and highlights unreliability of his narration while developing the mystery further.

“Oh, I got the gist. You all want to be treated like boys, blabbedy blah.”

Mr. Wooly’s characterization is stereotypical and flat, making the gym teacher a clear antagonist. The author uses these hyperbolic techniques to draw attention to social issues. The antagonist is dismissive of the gender issues that GWAB foregrounds as a symbol and reinforces bullying as negative and unlikable behavior.

“With her hair all short like that, she looked older […] It was like she had been tricking me about everything, even her personality.”

In another example of symbolism, Owen begins to see his sister in a new way when she is without her long hair. This revelation is an important plot development that continues Owen’s development as he learns to accept change. The revelation also highlights Owen’s unreliability as a narrator.