63 pages • 2 hours read
Jack ChengSee You in the Cosmos
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 43-47Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 43 Summary: “New Recording 43: 8M 46S”
Alex relates the gloomy, dark weather, matching everyone’s negative mood. Ronnie will not say when Alex can visit his mother. Zed begins typing his thoughts. Terra tells Alex that one of Ronnie’s worries is the cost of Alex’s hospital stay and that of his mom’s; soon Steve has “a great idea or how we can pay for some of the hospital bills” (255). Steve writes a Rocketforum post explaining Alex’s accident and some of his adventures since leaving SHARF and asks members to donate money. They add photos of Alex’s scars and some of his iPod recordings—but “definitely not the ones from Vegas or afterwards” (257). This helps lighten the mood, but Alex is still upset that he cannot see his mother.
Chapter 44 Summary: “New Recording: 39S”
In this brief recording, Terra tries to get Alex to speak. He has stopped talking to Ronnie and Terra because they are not including him in conversations regarding his mother. Terra tells Alex that the Rocketforum post is working and that donations so far are at one third of their goal. She tries to explain that his mother is not ready for a visit. She tries again to get Alex to speak: “Alex, you can’t just not say anything” (259). Alex does not respond.
Chapter 45 Summary: “New Recording 45: 2M 18S”
Terra records this update that details how Alex locks himself in his mother’s room because no one will take him to see her. Terra also explains how Alex must stay inside because of “everything that’s happening with CPS or DHS or whatever they call Child Protective Services here. We can’t risk them coming by and seeing Alex, and taking him away. Putting him in a foster home” (261). Terra calls her mother and tells her everything, wondering aloud why she feels like she’s not doing enough. Her mother tells her that she’s proud of Terra, and that Terra feels that way because she loves Alex.
Chapter 46 Summary: “New Recording: 29M 18S”
Alex records an update as he and Ronnie return from their mother’s hospital. They visit their mother in the cafeteria. She says that they are not her sons, even after Alex tells her he loves her and tries to prove he is in fact her son by recounting a memory only he and she knew (a time years before when he had an accident in his pants). She is not convinced: “You’re not Alex, you’re an alien, you stole my memories and you’re using them against me” (267). The iPod then records conversation between Ronnie and Alex. Alex wants to take care of his mother at home; he suggests that he can homeschool to be with her all the time. Ronnie tells Alex this is not possible.
Ronnie reveals to Alex that their father was emotionally and verbally abusive, and threated physical violence at least once, when Ronnie ran away from home once for three days to his friend Justin Mendoza’s basement. Ronnie reveals that their parents did not fall in love on Mount Sam, the way Alex thinks, and that at some point on his business travels their father met Terra’s mother, briefly married her, then annulled the marriage—while he was still married to Alex’s mother. Ronnie recounts a time he witnessed his father express attraction to a woman in a store, then later wink at Ronnie during a family dinner. Ronnie explains that he had to leave Rockview to “live [his] own life” (280) and is apologetic for not visiting more often. Ronnie tells Alex that the Department of Human Services is investigating Alex, their mother, and Ronnie. They agree to have an honest discussion about it back at the house with Terra, Steve, and Zed.
Chapter 47 Summary: “New Recording: 4M 32S”
Alex excitedly begins this recording announcing that CivSpace donated to his Rocketforum request, and that “[…] Lander Civet sent me a message! THE Lander Civet!” (283). Mr. Civet also invites Alex and his family to Cape Canaveral for the Mars satellite launch, travel expenses paid. Alex messages him acceptance of the invitation and wants to celebrate at Johnny Rockets, but Ronnie says they must discuss a plan for Alex’s immediate future. A social worker plans to visit in two days. Ronnie suggests that Alex move to Los Angeles with him. Steve and Zed agree to supervise Alex when Ronnie travels for work. Alex is upset at the thought of leaving his school activities and his friend Benji, but Terra reminds him he can communicate with Benji online. Ronnie says the meeting with the social worker must go well so that DHS does not put Alex in foster care and so that Ronnie and Alex can stay together. Everyone starts helping to clean the house.
Chapters 43-47 Analysis
In these chapters, the characters prepare for the climactic event: the social worker’s visit and consequent decision on Alex’s immediate future. The mood lightens as all the characters act: Ronnie takes Alex to visit their mother; Terra, Steve, and Zed help in the cleaning process. Although the visit looms, making plans helps break the dark mood each experienced at the end of the last set of chapters.
These chapters also reveal backstory that helps readers piece together more of the truth about the Petroski family. Ronnie is honest with Alex about their father’s true nature, telling him memories that Alex was too young to recall. Consequently, readers realize that their own interpretation of Alex’s father was influenced heavily by Alex’s imagination and wishful thinking (for example, the romantic, dreamy picture of his father and mother falling in love on Mount Sam, which never actually happened). Ronnie’s honesty and his decision to take Alex to see their mother is significant for two reasons: they suggest that Ronnie accepts now that Alex is old enough to learn the truth about these difficult situations, and they prove that Ronnie’s character is changing. While he showed some responsibility for Alex and their mother at the beginning of the story, he was consistently distant (both literally and figuratively) and distracted, and initially did not think his presence was necessary even when Alex fell off the roof. Now, he is home and dealing with conflicts in person; he is making plans and decisions for Alex as a guardian; and he shares with Alex the truth about their mother’s schizophrenia and background with their father.
Alex, with his talent for imaginative plans, tells Ronnie he should be the one to care for their mother at home—even if it means homeschooling instead of attending his current school. While he rapidly accepts the truth about his mother’s condition without even a moment’s disbelief, he is not yet ready to accept the reality that her treatment and care require more than he can give. One of the subtle ironies at the start of this set of chapters exists when Alex says, “I’m sure there are some things that the doctors don’t know about my mom because nobody told them” (253). He is probably right, but his optimism—and his firm belief that he is mature for age 11 in terms of responsibility—will not allow him to see that no authority figure has even asked for his input. He cannot take part in the decision-making process about his mother and his own future. Another irony exists when Alex reverts to immature behavior—locking himself in his mother’s room and refusing to communicate—in order to be heard.
