Flying Lessons & Other Stories

“Maybe words aren’t what’s important. Maybe words would just steal away your freedom to think for yourself.”

The narrator notices that both his father and Dante say very little to him, yet they are both supportive adults in his life. He recognizes that assistance comes in many forms, and it does not have to be verbal. By personifying words as someone who steals, the narrator emphasizes that both men have given him the gift of space to figure things out on his own.

“But the sea was what mesmerized me. It whispered with a quiet thunder, and when I saw the ‘waves made of dragon scales,’ just like in one of Li Po’s poems, I gasped.”

As Lingsi proceeds to the Infinite Stream Temple, she glimpses the ocean, which is personified here. By giving the sea the human ability to whisper with a quiet thunder, Lingsi emphasizes how powerful the pull of the ocean is for her. It is as if the water is luring her closer, and she is in awe of it. This is also foreshadowing, for the sea will ultimately provide an escape from her current life when she is taken in by the Red Flag Fleet.

“But my head is raised and I can’t help but smile. For while the path before me might be difficult, it will be my own.”

These are Lingsi’s written words as she sails the ocean with the Red Flag Fleet. Her raised head indicates a confidence and a dignity in her new life as a pirate. The path she references is her choice to live this unconventional life, and even though she acknowledges that it will be challenging, she is happy because it is what she chose, rather than what was chosen for her.

“‘Damn!’ She stares at her palms, then gives me an ugly look, like it’s my fault.”

The “she” in this passage is the soccer captain who ruins Merci’s paint job. Both her words and actions emphasize how society views Merci and her family. The ugly look and the blame on Merci highlight the girl’s view that she is superior, and it could only be the workers’ fault. This perception of her is what Merci struggles with from this point forward.

“All I feel is a rotting inside. It’s like I’m putrefying, just like Doña Rosa.”

On the way home from painting the gym, these are Merci’s thoughts. The simile comparing herself to a dead woman emphasizes that something not only ended for her today, but that it is rotting inside of her: her naïve view of the world and idolized version of her father. Also, there is a distinct shift in tone from the lighthearted banter at the beginning of the narrative to the dark and hopeless feeling here.

“Rumors spread in the lunch line like a common cold. Blade has a knife collection. Blade has a pet snake. Blade has three pet snakes. Blade feeds her pet snakes with live rats, which she personally catches in the attic…of her haunted house.”

The simile here indicates that if rumors are like a common cold, it means they spread quickly and reach everyone. Also, the fact that there is no cure for the common cold suggests that rumors are inevitable, and this inevitability results from gender expectations. Blade, a girl, chooses a surprising name for the Secret Sharer game, is not afraid to speak her mind, and even wears military boots. Because these are not typical for a girl, the rumors about her suggest that she is dangerous or even lives on the edge, collecting weapons and keeping snakes as pets in her scary house.

“If ‘snakes’ is the worst they’re saying about me, that’s pretty good.”

Blade confronts the rumors about her and serves as a confident, unapologetic role model for Sam. She provides an example of how to embrace oneself in the face of critique from others. Also, since she thinks this rumor is pretty good, Blade suggests that she has been the victim of worse rumors in the past.

“I feel like an empty mug that’s being filled with hot chocolate. Like I’ve been getting warmer all week, and I finally found the hidden prize.”

As a symbol, hot chocolate represents comfort and safety. If Sam feels as if they are filled with it and have been getting warmer all week, this suggests that their journey to be comfortable in their own skin is coming to fruition.

“‘You’re welcome, baby.’ Miz Rita gets another plate. ‘And I’ma fix a plate for your mama, too, okay?’”

Miz Rita is like a foil to Isaiah’s mother. All the ways the boy’s mother cannot provide for the family—in this case with a big meal—Miz Rita supplies. Her offer to make a plate up for Isaiah’s mom emphasizes this contrast between them. Furthermore, this moment highlights the role reversal that Isaiah is forced to undergo because of his family’s situation. Other than this scene, Isaiah is the one making and serving everyone food.

“Mama makes beans and rice for dinner again, but I pour myself a bowl of cereal instead.”

There is irony in this moment because in his father’s story, eating beans and rice is what gives the fictional Isaiah superpowers to help others. However, Isaiah’s refusal to eat the rice and beans is the turning point when he gains the strength to stand up to his mom about how she is failing their family. The motif of this meal is linked to the theme Love and Support in Unexpected and Unconventional Forms because Isaiah surprises everyone after this with his words. Although they initially hurt, in the end, the conflict helps the family begin to heal after his father’s death.

“That’s when you know, really know, you’re surrounded by family. Nobody has to say a word. They just look at each other and you know what they are thinking.”

Turtle Kid notices this before Uncle Kenneth begins his story, and this observation emphasizes community and shared identity, for the ability to communicate without talking occurs only when people feel a deep sense of connection. Also, the narrator’s ability to pick up on this shows a maturity and sense of reflection.

“No longer were we in the backyard of Pasadena, Texas, the Goode backyard of my Choctaw grandmother. No, we were in the dark deep woods of the Oklahoma Kiamichi Mountains, clinging to each other and praying that the Choctaw Bigfoot, the Naloosha Chitto, would please go away.”

This passage emphasizes the significance of storytelling in Choctaw culture. A good storyteller possesses the ability to transport listeners to the time and place of the narrative. Also, the narrator’s use of “we” emphasizes the communal identity of the Choctaw.

“No, they had the Choctaw blankets wrapped around ‘em, so they were safe.”

Blankets represent safety because they kept the Chukma family hidden from the Naloosha Chitto until the Bohpoli could distract him. However, this was not just any blanket, it was a Choctaw blanket. This distinction emphasizes the safety and comfort in embracing identity, literally wrapping it around for protection.

“The leaves here in New Hampshire are the ones on postcards—bright red and heartbreaking gold, color so deep and intense it seems it doesn’t belong in nature.”

This is the first imagery in the story. However, the leaves are not just described visually but also as a feeling. Most associate fall colors with beauty alone, but here Treetop suggests pain by using words like heartbreaking, deep, and intense. By noting that it seems they do not belong in nature, she foreshadows the prejudiced view of people in the town that any skin color other than white does not belong.

“I had learned to keep my hands out of it, but at school, she was constantly slapping the other kids’ hands away.”

Celeste’s reaction to these microaggressions juxtaposes Treetop’s. Where Treetop was silent, Celeste responds with immediate action. This underscores Treetop’s privilege—she can choose to stay quiet because she is not directly affected, while Celeste has no choice because if she does not combat the microaggressions, she will succumb to being treated like an animal.

“The way our fingers go, she said, brown, white, brown, white…It’s like the same God or Mother Nature or Universe that decided to make the leaves here all crazy colored said this—she held up our hands—this is right too.”

The colorful autumn leaves symbolize the natural order of things and what is right in the world. By comparing the different colors of their hands to the leaves and being just as “right,” Celeste pushes back on society’s limited perception of race and friendship and helps Treetop to see this as well. This moment counters the opening sentences when Treetop questions if the autumn colors belong at all.

“Nani sweeps across the golden sand in her couture dress, red stiletto heels, and white fur coat that make her look like the Indian version of Cruella de Vil.”

This description provides ample characterization of Nani. By comparing her to the Disney villain Cruella de Vil, Santosh reveals the power, authority, and glamour his grandmother possesses. Furthermore, at this point in their trip, he truly views her as a villain, someone who makes his life miserable and will not let him enjoy the vacation in the way that he wants to.

“Nani returns to the beach four hours later in a completely new dress and hairstyle and finds me hiding in a dank, foul-smelling cave, knees balled to my chest.”

Santosh’s location and physical position is a manifestation of his fear of being vulnerable. Alone at a beach, he “hides” and sits huddled up instead of putting himself out there, making friends and having fun. Santosh’s situation is emphasized even more when juxtaposed with Nani’s adventurous appearance of a new outfit and a new hairstyle.

“‘Oh, Santosh, don’t you see?’ she whispers, glassing with tears. ‘You’re the one taking me.’”

After following Nani’s lead and talking with Tomas on the beach, Santosh asks his grandmother if she can take him on another trip, and this is her response. In this moment of vulnerability, Nani reveals that she is not the villain he thought, but someone very much like him, in need of a trip outside her own caged life. Instead of being foils for each other, these two characters are more like mirrors.

“We’re the same, Nani and I. Two caged birds, searching for a way out.”

Santosh realizes that his grandmother is not who he thought she was. Instead of seeing her as a villain, he recognizes her as someone who suffers too—a caged bird not allowed to do what it does best: fly. However, because he notes that they are looking for an escape, he implies that they both are in control of the outcome. Neither Santosh nor his grandmother needs to wait for help; instead, they can unlock the cage and experience life all on their own.

“I said okay, she copied it, then

split like a perpendicular bisector

through an acute triangle.”

Monk explains how the closest he came to having a girlfriend was in sixth grade when a girl asked to copy his homework. This moment highlights Monk’s ability to make fun of himself because this is not even close to a romantic exchange. It also develops his characterization. Using a simile to compare how quickly she walked away to a bisecting line in a triangle, he insinuates that he is an intellectual kid with a focus on academics. This comparison is not usually the first thing that comes to mind when a seventh-grade boy is describing an interaction with a girl.

“I have taken

some liberties

and added a little

drama

here (and there)

to keep it interesting.”

In the epilogue to his memoir, Monk admits to embellishing some of the story, which makes him an unreliable narrator. Additionally, this passage highlights his playful personality, as he pokes fun at the assignment itself. Because students were told to keep it interesting, Monk took the opportunity to exaggerate and have fun with the assignment. This contrasts his description of himself in the beginning of the narrative as “uncool” and “a nobody.”

“He tried to turn his chair back toward the basket, and it spun all the way around. For a moment he looked absolutely lost, as if he didn’t know what had happened to him. He seemed a little embarrassed as he glanced toward me.”

Once Chris’s dad sits in the wheelchair, he is out of his element and loses control of the chair. However, his embarrassment at the mishap is a result of both the explicit fact that his chair spins and the implicit suggestion that he does not realize how hard it could be to maneuver a chair. His glance at Chris hints that he sees his son for the first time in a while. In fact, this scene marks the beginning of a connection between the pair.