The Wednesday Wars

Schmidt writes the novel from Holling’s first-person point of view. Holling speaks directly to the reader as if telling a close friend about his day. Schmidt captures the perspective of a seventh-grade boy by focusing on events and details a typical seventh grader would find important, such as pranks, bullies, the lack of lockers at his school, and his portrayal of teachers, including his idea that the principal, Mr. Guareschi, has ambitions to become a dictator of a small country. Schmidt divides the novel by months of the school year, so each chapter covers the events of an entire month.

Schmidt establishes the novel’s setting through small clues, rather than a direct statement. Based on the “September” section, the location of Holling’s town remains unknown and is only later revealed as Long Island, NY. However, Schmidt gives several clues as to the period in which the novel is set. He mentions Walter Cronkite, a CBS news anchor from 1962-1981, reporting the news. Schmidt also describes Holling’s sister listening to the Monkees, and later the Beatles, popular bands in the 1960s and 1970s. Another clue comes through Holling’s mention of Mai Thi and her recent arrival from Vietnam as a refugee, as well as Lieutenant Baker’s deployment to Vietnam. Eventually, Schmidt directly states that the year is 1967. With this backdrop for the novel’s events, young modern readers are exposed to historical events and can glimpse how junior high—and the world—has both undergone changes and remained the same over time.

Holling’s description of his home tells the reader about his family. His father calls their house The Perfect House, which reflects how he expects the family to present itself to the town. As the prominent owner of an architecture company, Hoodhood and Associates, Holling’s father sees people and his family’s relationships with them as business opportunities. For example, when Holling seeks his father’s advice about Mrs. Baker’s dislike for him, his father tells him to be nice to Mrs. Baker because her family owns Baker Sporting Emporium, a prospective client for his firm. This scenario repeats itself as Holling and his sister mention teachers and coaches, only to hear from their father that they must stay on good terms with these people for the sake of Hoodhood and Associates.

Schmidt begins to develop one of the novel’s lessons in this section: that unseen circumstances often contribute to a person’s behavior. While Holling thinks Mrs. Baker hates him for no apparent reason, the reader can see by the end of the chapter that Mrs. Baker’s behavior is affected by the circumstances in her life. What Holling sees as coldness in her expression is simply the worry she feels for her husband, who is being deployed to Vietnam. Furthermore, Holling is the only student standing between her and a free afternoon every week, so it’s understandable that she would be less than thrilled about spending Wednesday afternoons with him. While Holling sees Mrs. Baker simply as his teacher at this point, the reader can recognize that teachers are people too; they have personalities, frustrations, marriages, and heartaches, just like everyone else.