41 pages • 1 hour read
Judy BlumeTales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “The Big Winner”
Peter Hatcher recounts winning his turtle, Dribble, at the birthday party of his best friend, Jimmy Fargo. He won the prize when he came closest to guessing the number of jelly beans contained in a jar; Mrs. Fargo declared that “Peter Warren Hatcher is the big winner!” (3). While Peter initially regrets not receiving a goldfish in a plastic bag like the other guests, he realizes that he received the best prize.
Peter describes walking home to his family’s New York City apartment, and the friendly conversation that he has with Henry Bevelheimer, the elevator operator. Peter’s mother, Ann Hatcher, is not excited upon meeting Dribble, saying, “I don’t like the way he smells” (4). She announces that she will not care for the pet, but Peter responds that Dribble will be his own responsibility. He is pleased to have a pet of his own but realizes that this will not be a pet that will “lick you or anything” (5).
Despite his mother’s distaste for Dribble and her insistence upon Peter scrubbing his hands often, Peter’s most problematic family member is his little brother, Farley Drexel Hatcher, known as Fudge. Peter describes Fudge’s constant tantrums and the fact that he “messes up everything he sees” (6). Peter emphasizes to Fudge that he is not to touch the turtle, and Fudge responds by saying “‘No touch.’ Then he laughed like crazy” (7).
Chapter 1 Analysis
This chapter introduces the world of nine-year-old Peter Hatcher, the book’s protagonist and narrator. The author sets the action in New York City. While Blume does not specify the story’s time period, it clearly occurred prior to publication in 1973. The fact that the Hatcher family is supported solely by the income of Mr. Hatcher, and that they reside in a two-bedroom apartment with a manned elevator near Central Park, implies an era that did not suffer hyperinflation. Present-day families who enjoy similar amenities would require a very high-earning parent, and it appears that Mr. Hatcher is a mid-level account executive with an advertising company.
The author uses foreshadowing in this chapter when Peter shares that his toddler brother, Fudge, is the biggest problem in his life. Fudge is high-spirited, somewhat spoiled, and beyond the control of his long-suffering mother. Peter, proud of his ability to comport himself politely in the company of adults and usually mature outlook regarding Fudge’s antics, experiences the loss of parental attention common to the older sibling in a family. The turtle that he wins at Jimmy Fargo’s birthday celebration represents the opportunity for Peter to demonstrate his skills as a responsible caretaker. Additionally, Dribble the turtle is a pet exclusively under Peter’s domain. Peter takes great pains to clarify this fact to Fudge and reacts angrily whenever the younger child intrudes into Dribble’s domain. Fudge’s fascination with this forbidden reptile is complete and will play heavily into the story’s climax.
While Peter loves his parents, he is acutely aware that much of his interaction with his mother consists of her directing him to perform rituals such as scrubbing his hands. She is frequently distracted by the effort of caring for Fudge and expresses an immediate dislike for Dribble’s odor when Peter brings him home. Peter has no particular problems with his father, but the boy notes that Mr. Hatcher “spends a lot of time watching commercials on TV…because he’s in the advertising business” (6). This statement evokes traditional division of gender roles between parents that was common in the 1950s and 1960s as opposed to those of more contemporary families. Mr. Hatcher is a loving father but clearly spends much of his leisure time attempting to improve his career prospects by perusing television commercials. Mrs. Hatcher, conversely, is a full-time mother and housewife—a role that became less economically feasible and less mandated by societal norms in recent decades.
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By Judy Blume
