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.
Symbols & Motifs
Representations for Familial Love and Support
Alex lacks the emotional support of a family in the beginning of the story. Until Ronnie decides to devote his time and capabilities to Alex and their mother at the climax, Alex instinctually tries to fill this void of love through others. The result is a motif of experiences and interactions that replace familial love and support. This motif contributes to the theme of “The Love and Support of Family.”
Carl Sagan supplies Alex with love and companionship, though his communication is limited. The Rocketforum online community is a group Alex joins for companionship and out of common interests; being part of that “family” inspires him to attend SHARF: “Isn’t it interesting how every tent and RV has people in it, people like us with rockets they want to launch, and tomorrow were going to meet them and see the rockets and shoe them ours?” (53). Once at SHARF, he seeks closer relationships: “Let’s go make some friends!” (58).
Once he meets Terra, Alex eagerly treats her as a close family member: he says he will trust her and stick by her, he pays for their park admittance “because she’s family” (153), and he tends to her needs, such as when he takes her shoes off so she sleeps more comfortably. Alex assumes a close kinship with Steve and Zed, suggesting they come to Terra’s apartment and trusting them to drive him to SHARF and Las Vegas. The motif can also be seen as Alex’s imagination tries to fulfill his desire for a family; he elaborates how his parents fell in love on Mount Sam, how his father would hug him, and what it would be like if his father was alive and back home.
Irresponsible Actions
The author supports the general responsibility theme and the more specific theme of “Displaced Responsibility” by juxtaposing a motif of irresponsible behaviors and their consequences throughout the story. For example, Terra’s spontaneous decision-making seems fun to Alex and attractive to Steve, but her lifestyle and decision to avoid college lead to uncertainty regarding her goals and ambitions. Alex inspires her to return to her responsibilities in Las Vegas and figure out her next steps. Terra’s behavior at Nathan’s apartment causes Alex to cry, and she is ashamed that she drank alcohol and flirted with Nathan there. Ronnie avoids listening attentively to Alex on the phone and is not sensitive to his remarks; as a result, he loses all control of Alex’s decision-making. Steve irresponsibly ties Carl Sagan to a signpost and the dog becomes lost; initially, Steve insists this was not his fault, but takes responsibility later in helping to search for him and bringing the found dog back to Alex.
Hope and Truth
Cheng supports the theme of “The Dichotomy between Idealistic Dreams and Realistic Truths” by incorporating symbols for hope and symbols of truth. Hope symbols include scientist Carl Sagan’s Golden Record and Alex’s Golden iPod, which represent hope for peaceful, intelligent life outside of our planet. Alex’s tesseract is a symbol of hope representing his confidence that objects and dimensions exist beyond what we can see and touch. Alex’s rocket symbolizes a hope difficult to achieve. Carl Sagan’s return symbolizes how luck fulfills some hopes. Lander Civet stands for hope, representing the power of a positive influence; he bolsters his team after the failure of the Cloud 1 rocket, promotes Alex’s story which brings more donations, and sends Alex to see the satellite launch.
Juxtaposed against those hopeful symbols are representations of the harsher truth of “real” life. The ticket attendant at the Amtrak station symbolizes the hurdles we face. Ronnie’s memories, symbols of truth, erase Alex’s dreamlike images of their parents’ relationship and their father’s personality. Steve’s dashed hopes of a relationship with Terra represent the frustration and sadness lost goals can bring. Ken Russell’s observatory, with its items that belong to Ken, his wife, and their daughter, represent the stability of a mature relationship after working through challenging problems.
