58 pages • 1 hour read
J. Ryan StradalThe Lager Queen of Minnesota
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A 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
Helen’s Blackberry Pie
Helen Blotz’s blackberry pie represents Edith Magnusson and Helen’s differences in principles and how those dissimilarities influence their relationship dynamic. The award-winning pie created by both Helen and Edith highlights Edith’s warmhearted, fair nature. After winning a ribbon at the fair for a pie she baked using her sister’s berries and crust, Edith cuts the ribbon in half to share the win. Helen thinks, “As weird and boring as her sister could be, she was so kind and thoughtful. But Helen also knew right then it would’ve never occurred to her to halve a ribbon she won, were she to win one” (133). Helen does not feel obligated to reciprocate her sister’s kindness, and she feels disappointed that the pie won second place, not first. Helen’s ambition makes her greedy, and her desire for success causes Helen to deprioritize her family members, as further evidenced by Helen’s claim over the family inheritance. Helen’s avarice hurts Edith, not only emotionally, but at various moments when the $20,000 Helen deprived her of would have significantly improved her quality of life.
Helen’s ambition also drives a wedge between her and her mother. When Mrs. Calder prevents Helen from entering her blackberry pie into the competition so Edith can compete, “Helen knew right then that her aspirations would have a mortal enemy, right there under the same roof. She couldn’t ever trust her mother with her honest desires again and would regret it the few times she did” (134). Mrs. Calder enforces traditional expectations and archaic rules on her daughters, stemming from her religious beliefs and supplemented by a community of like-minded mid-century Midwesterners. Helen refuses to fit the mold preestablished for her by her family and community, wanting more out of life than pleasantly curtailing her ambition to prioritize the wants and needs of others. Helen’s mother fails to accept Helen’s determination and enthusiasm for more masculine activities, like being ambitious and drinking beer, preventing the women from growing a close mother-daughter bond.
Edith’s Rhubarb-Pie-in-a-Bottle Beer
Edith’s beer represents the possibilities that emerge from encouraging people to celebrate their individualism, as opposed to expecting people—especially women—to act according to a set of traditional social norms. A beer reviewer observes of Edith’s brew, “This beer doesn’t make any sense. It didn’t fill any obvious market niche, meet a known customer demand, or pursue any recognizable trend. This beer is merely the ultimate expression of its brewer” (329). After a lifetime of serving her husband, children, and grandchild, and working in various underpaid positions that take advantage of her skills and knowledge, Edith finally does something for herself by brewing Rhubarb-Pie-in-a-Bottle. The quirky flavor and Edith’s backstory drive the beer’s success, proving how much people enjoy witnessing others thrive while doing what they love. Compared to Helen’s Blotz Special Light brew, which supplies more of the same product to a limited market, Edith’s beer entices people to try something new, welcoming those who have otherwise felt excluded by the beer industry.
Edith’s beer isn’t pretentious and doesn’t demand success. Her reviewers acknowledge:
Grandma Edith was just making a beer that she wanted to drink because it didn’t exist yet, and the result is not a beer in the sense you know it. It is the heart and guts and ignorance and beauty and dreams of Edith Magnusson, and that is all (329).
Rhubarb-Pie-in-a-Bottle represents a shift in the brewing industry as demand moves away from the conventional light lagers made by a handful of men, progressing to a diverse pool of brewers that create more inclusive flavor profiles. Customers enjoy learning about the people who brew their beer while excitedly sampling beverages flavored with jalapeño, chocolate, rhubarb, or strawberry. Moreover, the public’s celebration of Edith’s rejection of industry customs and traditions signifies a shift in the community to be more accepting and inclusive of divergent people and family structures.
Diana’s PSAT Score
Diana Winter’s PSAT score symbolizes the division between what society deems successful and how Diana defines achievement. In defending her decision not to attend college, Diana explains to Paul, “You know, I don’t know what I even did to ace that test or even if I could do it again if I tried. But it doesn’t change anything. Not for me or my grandma. Not at all” (116). Unlike her more privileged peers, Diana recognizes that her natural academic talent does not automatically translate to financial security. Diana and her peers consistently hear that the only way to get ahead is by working hard, taking out academic loans, applying for scholarships, and getting a degree. Although occasionally successful, this life plan often leads to debt and a lack of professional training. Diana nearly falls into this trap and a mountain of student loan debt herself. Luckily for Diana, Frank Schabert intervenes, outfitting Diana with the skills and knowledge to be a successful tradesperson.
The fanfare Diana receives for her PSAT score versus her grandmother’s success in a pie contest represents a generational shift in values in the American Midwest, a place known for farming, manufacturing, and other trade-specific industries. While Helen breaks with tradition in 1960s Minnesota by attending college, Diana shows little interest in higher education, which is unconventional for the early 2000s. Diana’s friends, teachers, and principal express outrage when Diana resists the idea of college. Her success as a brewmaster and in opening Artemis Brewery illustrates that a person can achieve prosperity without conforming to societal expectations.
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