42 pages • 1 hour read
Rob BuyeaBecause of Mr. Terupt
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 1, Chapter 6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1
Part 1, Chapter 6 Summary: “february”
Peter is eager to begin playing in the snow on the class’s free day, but Mr. Terupt reminds him that they’re spending the morning on indoor games before heading outside. The boys play Scattergories with Mr. Terupt, and Peter confuses Luke when he refers to girls as “babes.” Peter’s narrative ends with, “Mr. T’s the best, I thought. That was the last time I got to hang out with him” (122). Before more detail is offered, Luke’s furious train of thought takes over the narrative: “Peter thought he was so smart all of a sudden. He won a homework pass off a lucky guess and he confused me in Scattergories. Big deal. I resolved (dollar word) to get him” (123). The narrative shifts quickly to Jeffrey’s voice as he reflects on the Scattergories game. Jeffrey is increasingly annoyed with Peter and reveals that he has a surprise for him once they’re outside. Jeffrey’s narrative also ends with a warning: “It woulda been better if I never got involved. If I just stayed hating school, none of this woulda happened” (124).
Once outside, Peter’s game of knocking people into the snow quickly becomes a fight. Peter’s account is that someone shoulder-checks him from behind while he’s watching out for Alexia, then Alexia kicks snow at him before he’s knocked down two more times and has his face pushed into the snow. In Jessica’s account, she admits to directing Danielle and Anna to knock Peter down. Danielle and Jessica shoulder-check Peter, then Anna gives him a “little nudge” before Alexia joins the fight and kicks snow in Peter’s face. Luke’s perspective of the fight reveals that it’s Jeffrey who holds Peter’s head in the snow, and Luke admits to following suit by doing the same to Peter. Peter blindly throws an icy snowball in retaliation, hitting Mr. Terupt at close range.
Danielle’s immediate reaction is regret her part in the fight, and she prays to God for help. Jessica tries to justify everyone’s actions by asserting they had no malicious intent. Luke doesn’t see all that happens, and he places blame on Mr. Terupt for letting things go too far. Peter doesn’t mean to hurt anyone and wishes he could take it back. Part 1 ends without clarifying the outcome of the accident, but readers learn in Part 2 that Mr. Terupt is in a coma.
Part 1, Chapter 6 Analysis
Narratives from each student in this chapter grow progressively shorter, and warnings that something bad is to come are more frequent. The viewpoints of the narrators don’t provide a clear, chronological breakdown of the action. Breaking up the action across multiple points of view extends the suspense as the story reaches its climax. Without an omniscient narrator, the reader relies on panicked accounts from the students and leaves the reader unsure of exactly what happens as Part 1 closes. Foreshadowing throughout Part 1 prepares readers for the accident in this chapter, but details of Mr. Terupt’s injury don’t appear until Part 2. The novel’s plot structure establishes a clear climax at the end of Part 1 and sets up Part 2 for falling action and resolution.
The accident that leaves Mr. Terupt in a coma is the climax of the novel. Peter’s role is significant because his antics increase in intensity as the novel progresses, with people getting closer and closer to injury. It’s ironic that good behavior earns a play day in the snow, and bad behavior at that play day results in Mr. Terupt’s injury. It’s also ironic that a snowball is what injures Mr. Terupt after he warns students that they are not allowed to throw snowballs. Luke blaming Mr. Terupt for not keeping the class under control predicts the sentiments of the adults to come in Part 2.
The students’ immediate reactions to the accident reflect their individual characteristics and personalities. Anna is on the quieter side and focuses on hoping nobody is hurt. Danielle regrets following the orders of another girl (in this case, Jessica, rather than Alexia) and prays to God for help. Jessica tries to apply logic to the situation. Luke avoids taking responsibility and points to the authority figure to take the blame. Alexia screams in horror but doesn’t provide a perspective, which is appropriate since she’s been quieter after Mr. Terupt confronts her about being a bully. Peter wishes to take back his actions, which aligns with his regular references to speaking without thinking first. Jeffrey’s reaction is noticeably absent, as he retreats to his withdrawn persona to deal with guilt and grief, although it’s revealed at the end of the novel that Jeffrey is the one who runs to find help from other adults immediately following the accident.
The narrative loses control as it switches quickly from one student’s perspective to the next in the chaotic moments surrounding the accident, leaving the reader knowing only that something bad happens to Mr. Terupt when he steps in to stop the fight. In Part 2, readers learn that Peter’s snowball cracks Mr. Terupt’s skull and strikes his temporal region, and that’s what sends him into a coma, but the author creates suspense by saving these details for later in the story.
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By Rob Buyea
