Hummingbird

This section complicates Olive’s conflicts and motivations. With the introduction of a new setting—Macklemore Middle School—come new characters important to her development, such as teacher Mr. Watson, fellow student Grace, and the school’s theater troupe. The formal introduction of the hummingbird in Chapter 9 strengthens the novel’s magical realism, particularly its associated riddle, which echoes fantasy stories involving prophecies and transformations: “And the bird will leave a golden kiss / on the face of one who gets their wish” (85). With this introduction comes the question of why Grandpa Goad failed to inform Olive of the hummingbird; later, it is revealed he and his wife found the hummingbird in 1963. Descriptions of Macklemore create a whimsical atmosphere that further reinforces the novel’s mix of magic and realism. Chapter 7 utilizes the hummingbird’s preestablished symbolism to foreshadow Macklemore’s role in Olive’s growth: When she enters Macklemore with Hatch at the end of Chapter 7, she notices carved hummingbirds in doors that look “mythical and wild” (66). These hummingbirds are introduced before Mr. Watson’s explanation of the hummingbird, suggesting school will facilitate Olive’s general learning and later pursuit of a wish.

However, while Mr. Watson is supportive, Olive meets other people who complicate her magical feelings about school: Her aide Ms. Pigeon, fellow students the Maddies, and theater teacher Mrs. Matheson all exhibit ableism, conscious or otherwise. The Maddies’ exclusion leaves her “lonely, even though I was surrounded by other girls” (96), while Ms. Pigeon addresses her “as if she were talking to a toddler and not an eleven-year-old” (98). Mrs. Matheson does not consider making accommodations for Olive in the theater, excluding her from participation in the school play. Unlike the Maddies in particular, the inclusive Grace reinforces the theme of Friends and Family as the Most Important Magic. Lloyd uses Grace’s “pair of wide, glorious cardboard wings” to signal her compatibility with Olive and their shared pursuit of the hummingbird (75). Overall, Olive’s new relationships demonstrate the importance of support, as without it, one is often left feeling misunderstood or unheard altogether.

Olive’s observation of Hatch at Macklemore further hints that his “perfection” is a façade: “Hatch didn’t smile. Or laugh. He just nodded and slid into his desk beside me. Then he pulled out his comic and fidgeted with his hoodie sleeves […] Hatch didn’t talk to anybody else” (74). This isolation indicates fragility, a conflict that later brings the stepsiblings together. Olive’s own conflict with fragility intensifies when she enters Macklemore, and realizes she faces caution and exclusion due to her OI. Lloyd explores the concept of fragility in a verse section in Chapter 7 to depict Olive’s fear of being trapped by the label: “Fragile! / That’s what the ravens/in the treetops hollered when they saw me. / Fragile. Fragile. Fragile, / croaked the bullfrogs in the woods, / loud and proud for me to hear” (65). This personification of animal cries illustrates the invasive nature of ableism, while elevating the hummingbird’s silent presence (feathers), reinforcing the themes of Fragility, Vulnerability, and Strength and Existing with Limitations.

The hummingbird’s feathers not only present themselves but also act as a guide in this section. They direct Olive to the school theater in Chapter 11, “toward the destiny that was [hers]” (101). The school play—“Hope Like Feathers”—features poet Emily Dickinson, utilizing bird and feather imagery to illustrate hope. Dickinson is well-known for her poem “Hope is the thing with feathers,” which imagines hope as a bird whose song cannot be quashed by life’s many storms. The novel’s allusion to the poem parallels Olive’s outlook and connection to birds, with Dickinson herself being a model for inner strength as Mama is. Thus, Chapter 13 ends with a shift in Olive’s goal to prove herself a capable student: She ponders, “Does a butterfly realize all it can be before the cocoon finally breaks? I think maybe it does” (130), and sets a new goal of gaining strong bones through a wish. This quote echoes her quote in Chapter 6 when she describes the hummingbird’s feathers as “delicate as butterfly bones” (52). Despite the nature of Olive’s wish, she makes it clear that she wishes to remain herself.