Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-21

Chapters 22-37

Chapters 38-52

Chapters 53-66

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Finn’s Tell the Wolves I’m Home Painting

Content Warning: This section contains references to anti-gay bias, the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, and death.

The novel’s title is taken from the title of Finn’s portrait of June and Greta. This, coupled with the fact that its creation is the focus of the opening chapter, immediately situates its importance. Initially, sitting for the portrait is an occasion that June looks forward to: It is an opportunity to spend time with Finn in his apartment, and June relishes the attention Finn must inevitably pay to her as he studies her. Greta, however, claims to despise these sessions and soon quits attending them, establishing the sisters’ strained relationship. After Finn’s death, June and the rest of the family instantly regard the painting as symbolic of Finn’s talent and a reminder of his life. However, when it is discovered to be of monetary value, June’s parents lock it away for safekeeping. This gesture symbolizes the way in which Danielle declines to address difficult subjects directly, such as insisting that June must move beyond her grief for Finn and not dwell on it. It is as if, by locking away the painting, Finn—and the stigma associated with his death—can be forgotten.

When Toby reveals that Finn’s aim in painting the portrait was to ensure that Greta and June remain close, June has mixed feelings. She has regarded the painting as symbolic of the connection between herself and Finn—a connection that Greta feels she cannot be a part of. In modifying the painting, however, Greta and June bring Finn’s hope to fruition in an unexpected way. The discovery of their additions to the painting plays a role in drawing Greta and June back together. In the end, the painting is displayed permanently in the Elbus home—a sign that June’s mother has moved beyond her anger toward Toby and shame of Finn’s death.

Finn’s Possessions

From the opening, the significance of several of Finn’s possessions to June is clear. The Russian teapot carries great importance because Finn explicitly tells her that he uses it only for his best guests. This conveys to June not only that she is worthy of its use but also that Finn loves and values her as much as she does him—something she will doubt to be true at various junctures after his death. When Toby delivers the teapot to her after Finn’s death, the teapot takes on even greater meaning. It is both a reminder of Finn and evidence that Finn’s love is fierce enough to win out over Danielle’s insistence that he not gift her the teapot. June knows, however, that because her mother had forbidden Finn from giving June the teapot, she must keep it hidden. Its presence thus advances The Power of Secrets as June hides it in her closet.

Toby understands the power Finn’s possessions have over June. He uses them to tempt her to visit him, promising a new item with each visit. These objects are the only means Toby has to convince June to share her grief for Finn. For June, the objects—such as the “Requiem” cassette tapes and book on medievalism, The Book of Days—are means to keep Finn close and remain connected to him. Toby, too, attempts to maintain his connection to Finn by wearing Finn’s coat, which carries his scent. June hides each item in her closet so that their presence does not betray her secret visits to her parents. In this way, though the objects begin as reminders of Finn, they grow to symbolize the forbidden friendship she develops with Toby.

The Middle Ages

June acquires her passion for the Middle Ages and medievalism from Finn. He introduces her to the era’s art via paintings, music, and trips to the Cloisters and teaches June about medieval culture through visits to Renaissance fairs. June quickly shares Finn’s enthusiasm for all things Middle Ages and, after his death, clings to the medieval-style blouse she owns and boots that Finn gifted to her. June recognizes that her interest in the Middle Ages is an unusual and unlikely one for a teenage girl, but Finn encourages and celebrates her unique passion. June is surprised when Ben complements her boots, not expecting another person her age to understand the draw of the era.

June’s main pastime is to venture into the woods behind her school, where she pretends that she is living in the Middle Ages. This pretending is a way to escape from her present-day life, where she feels she does not fit in, to a time that she deems better suited to the person she is. Her pretending and escape symbolize her desire to return to the past—specifically to the time when Finn was alive. She longs to turn back time in order to dwell where she felt most connected and supported. Importantly, the Middle Ages were also termed the “Dark Ages” for a period of time, as it was believed to have been a time of intellectual and cultural decline as the Roman Empire ended. This nomenclature, then, is useful in describing June’s perception of her life post-Finn, as she fears that no one will ever understand her the way that Finn did.