46 pages • 1 hour read
Phil BildnerA High Five for Glenn Burke
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2020A 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
The High Five
The high five is the most important symbol in the book. It is a tangible point of connection between Silas and Burke. Silas can tell his classmates about Glenn Burke’s life by focusing on the high five instead of talking about his sexuality, giving him a safe way to explore and talk about both who he and Burke are.
High fives are a symbol of friendship, teamwork, acceptance, and celebration. They are particularly common in sports. This makes it perfectly natural for Silas to introduce a double-handed high five as a team ritual at the end of the book.
By celebrating Burke’s legacy in the present day, Silas is metaphorically high fiving him across time. Their lives may be different, but some fundamental things about them are the same.
The Sandlot
The Sandlot is Silas’s favorite movie. It is a major point of connection and shared interest for all of the boys on the Renegades; even Coach Webb loves it and quotes it all the time. The movie is mentioned several times throughout the novel. It shifts in meaning as Silas’s journey continues and reflects his teammates’ acceptance or rejection. At first, everyone on the team loves the movie and appreciates Silas’s references to it. At the fashion show, Silas’s teammates’ comments sour the show for him, and his enthusiasm for the movie becomes something to be mocked rather than celebrated. When his teammates dress up in the Sandlot costumes again at the end of the book, they are demonstrating to him that they accept him for who he is and are celebrating his return and reuniting as a team.
Sunflower Seeds
Silas likes to keep sunflower seeds in his cheek and spit them out during baseball games. He has excellent aim. The seeds become symbolic during Silas’s final conversation with Coach Webb at the end of the book. The two of them spit sunflower seeds at an empty coffee mug as they discuss Silas’s experiences and his future. Silas’s aim improves as the conversation evolves and he gets closer to understanding what Webb is trying to tell him. At the moment when Silas finally understands Webb’s instruction to be his authentic self, he manages to spit a seed directly into the mug, indicating that he has had a breakthrough in the conversation.
