Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The opening chapters of Diary of a Wimpy Kid introduce Greg Heffley, his family, his close friendships, and his tendency to not follow through on his decisions. In the early pages of the novel, the reader may notice that Greg never has anything positive to say about the people in his life. He calls his best friend unintelligent, and he complains about his siblings making his life harder. He also calls the other students in his school “morons” while simultaneously seeking their approval in his quest for popularity. Despite Greg’s constant stream of negativity, Kinney incorporates humor throughout the novel to lighten the mood and remind the reader that Greg’s problems may seem big and important, but at the end of the day, they are just normal middle school problems. Kinney also introduces the infamous Cheese and the Cheese Touch to set up a lasting symbol of immaturity and exclusion that may hinder Greg’s dreams of attaining popularity. While Greg longs to rise through the ranks and be popular and respected, the Cheese lingers on the school’s basketball court, reminding Greg and the reader that popularity can be lost in an instant. The introduction of the Cheese also foreshadows the events that will unfold in the final chapters of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

As the novel progresses, the reader gets a clear picture of Greg’s inability to plan ahead or take accountability for his actions. His treasurer campaign posters contain only lies and slander about his opponent, and when he is told he can’t use these, he simply gives up and blames the vice principal for ruining his political career. When he and Rowley decide to build the haunted house, Greg becomes so wrapped up in the idea of making money off the neighborhood kids that he fails to prioritize the actual construction of the haunted house. When he and Rowley are caught by Rowley’s dad and punished for running a haunted house in the basement, Greg insists that he didn’t do anything wrong. Greg has a habit of trying to manipulate other people to get what he wants and leaving his friends high and dry in the process.

Halloween night highlights the lack of power that Greg and Rowley feel as preteens. Although they plan the perfect trick-or-treating route to collect as much candy as possible, their plans begin to fall apart once the adults in their lives begin to get involved. Rowley’s mom ruins his costume by making it as “safe” as possible. Greg’s father and little brother have to come along on the trick-or-treating route, which significantly slows down their progress. Older teenagers chase Greg and Rowley down and keep them from continuing their trick-or-treating, and at the last minute Greg’s dad throws water on Greg and Rowley, ruining their candy. Halloween night reminds Greg that even when he sets his mind to something and has a plan, sometimes plans fall apart.