Henry Huggins

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1950

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Money

Money is a tangible and essential part of the adult world. Adult concerns about money contrast with the concerns of children, which revolve around living in the moment, largely unaware of the cost of living or the financial impact of their choices. However, Henry Huggins is an exception because he is constantly aware of how much money he has saved and how more money he needs. In Chapter 1, Henry is keenly aware of the cost of bus fare and must run calculations in his head to purchase the supplies he needs to transport Ribsy home while still having have enough to pay his fare. Money becomes a central motif in almost every chapter of the novel as Henry counts his pennies and plots and schemes to generate more income, either to make his life better or to fix his mistakes. In Chapter 2, Henry visits the pet store and takes a quick inventory of what he can afford. After the guppy conundrum, Henry must return his guppies, plus the hundreds that have since appeared. He learns, to his delight, that he has generated income. The amount seems like a fortune to the young boy: “Seven dollars! Henry was astounded. Seven dollars’ worth of anything in the pet shop!” (54). Henry learns that his patient care of the guppies, despite the stress it caused him, earned him the ability to buy a better setup for keeping fish as pets.

Henry’s fixation on money comes to a head when he’s planning to purchase a new football but then must use his savings to replace Scooter’s ball. Henry obsesses over the dollar amount: “He needed thirteen dollars and ninety-five cents plus forty-one cents for tax” (60). He is immediately concerned about how he can earn enough money to replace the football without getting into trouble with his parents. After Henry helps Mr. Grumbie collect worms, he has his solution, but it takes Henry hours of back-breaking work, and eventually aid from his parents, to collect enough worms to meet the total. Through Henry’s experience, he learns that earning money requires hard work and diligence. By making Henry earn and save money for the items he wants, Henry’s parents teach him the value of delayed gratification and the necessity of earning money to survive in the real world. Beverly Cleary’s incorporation of money as a motif in the novel teaches children about the value of budgeting, the consequences of financial choices, and how giving children financial education, even from a young age, can set them up to better succeed through adolescence and adulthood.

Animals

Many children are innately fascinated with the natural world and, in particular, with animals that inspire awe and wonder in curious, young minds. Beverly Cleary makes animals an important part of all her children’s novels, whether as part of the narrative, as in Henry Huggins, or as the protagonist of the story, as in the Ralph S. Mouse books. Henry Huggins is no exception as animals and creatures play a pivotal role in each chapter of the story. From mangy mutts to silvery guppies and slimy earthworms, Cleary’s novel is full of creatures symbolizing the connection between humans and the natural world and the wonder and excitement of childhood discovery. From his experience with the guppies, Henry learns that not every animal makes a good pet. From his time with Mr. Grumbie, he learns about valuable worms called “night crawlers” that anglers use for bait. The narrator describes Henry discovering the strangeness of worms: “He grabbed the end of the cold slippery worm. The other end was already in the ground. Henry pulled and the worm pulled. The worm stretched. It grew longer and thinner until it snapped out of Henry’s hand and disappeared into the ground” (76). Cleary’s portrayal of children’s interactions with the natural world symbolizes the carefree spirit of youth and a child’s curiosity, which can lead to an exploration and deeper understanding of nature and all its complexities. However, Henry’s most transformative experience with animals comes from his relationship with Ribsy.

Like most children, Henry relishes the idea of having a pet. Even after he brings Ribsy home, when he visits the pet store, he imagines taking home all sorts of exotic animals, including a skunk: “Henry thought it would be fun to have a skunk following him around, but when he found it cost forty dollars he gave up the idea” (30). Henry’s chaotic bus ride with Ribsy opens his eyes to the complexity of pet ownership, but the longer he owns the dog, the more he learns about the obligation of a dog’s physical needs such as feeding, grooming, and training. Henry’s love for Ribsy deepens after he enters the town’s dog show and understands that his affection for his dog goes deeper than the way he looks on the outside. Henry’s companionship with Ribsy brings him joy, laughter, and sometimes calamity, but in the end, Ribsy enriches Henry’s life. When Ribsy’s first owner appears and tries to take Ribsy from Henry, he feels anxious and worried about what his life would be like without his buddy. Understanding their friend’s deep connection to the dog, Henry’s friends even step up to support him as he fights to win Ribsy’s affection. Their loyalty proves that Ribsy has made an impression on more than just Henry and won the hearts of all the neighborhood children. Through his interactions with the natural world, Henry learns responsibility, grows in his decision-making skills, and becomes more empathetic. The presence of animals, insects, and creatures of all kinds in Cleary’s novels symbolizes a childlike love of the natural world and highlights the way connecting to nature can teach children lessons about themselves and the environment.

Klickitat Street

Based on a real street in Portland, Oregon, Beverly Cleary situates her first novel on the quaint street with a lively, onomatopoeic name. Mimicking the sounds one might hear as bicycles, trikes, and roller skates bump and click across the sidewalk, the street name embodies the pleasant, congenial feel of a suburban neighborhood where children roam freely from house to house in search of their next grand adventure. The narrative describes Henry’s picturesque home: “He lived with his mother and father in a square white house on Klickitat Street” (1). By describing a neighborhood that modern readers may interpret as nostalgic, Cleary situates her story in a time of innocence and simplicity where Henry and his friends experience the highs and lows of growing up together. Henry’s street is in a close-knit neighborhood with a strong sense of community. It serves as the backdrop for Henry’s interactions with his friends and neighbors, who shape his view of the world. Klickitat Street is populated by neighbors who support one another and who feel like extended family. For Henry, who is an only child, his neighborhood friends are an important part of his life; they create a sense of belonging and provide for him the peer interaction that is crucial to a child’s healthy development.

Klickitat Street, while providing a safe, comfortable, and secure place for the children to live, also symbolizes childhood adventures. Front yards become football stadiums, YMCA gymnasiums, and circus big tops where kids can explore their imaginations without leaving their driveways. The neighborhood gives the children a space where they can exert their boundless energy, learn from one another, and make lasting memories with their family and friends. Living in a community with one another can also sometimes breed envy, as when Henry wants a new football: “Every boy on Klickitat Street wanted one” (61). Even though Henry doesn’t always get along with his neighborhood friends, the conflict also provides him an opportunity to learn from others and understand the importance of finding common ground. Klickitat Street is not just a place where Henry lives; it represents the best days of his childhood freedom. Klickitat Street not only represents Cleary’s mission to create a strong sense of place but also symbolizes a way of being in the world and grounds her narrative in the importance of community and family.