53 pages • 1 hour read
Pete HautmanSlider
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
Slider
The titular slider symbol represents David’s family, developing the theme of The Importance of a Family Support System. This symbol appears in two key places within the novel, and its meaning shifts as David’s perspective on his family dynamic changes. In Chapter 4, David introduces this symbol, saying, “I label myself the beef in a SooperSlider” (18), which he explains is like a White Castle burger with steamed meat. He says, “Being the middle kid of three is like being the beef in a SooperSlider—you’re just there to weld the bun together” (18). David compares himself to the meat in a slider because he sees himself as essential yet seldom appreciated. David’s symbolism communicates his belief that he is the forgotten middle child, despite his essential responsibilities to the family, like taking care of Mal. However, the symbolism of the slider becomes more positive at the end of the novel, when David revisits his previous perspective and decides that being the center of the family is “Mal’s job” (275). At this point, he celebrates the fact that his family will always come together to take care of Mal. David now sees himself as being just as important as everyone else in the family.
The Jooky Dog
The $2,000 hot dog half that David purchases online with his mother’s credit card serves as a symbol for The Consequences of Lying by Omission, as the hot dog has no association with the famous eating competition. When David stumbles upon the auction for Jooky Garafalo’s famous uneaten half of a hot dog, he chooses to use his mom’s credit card information to bid on it, racking up an accidental $2,000 charge that he feels compelled to hide. Thus, when the Jooky dog arrives in the mail, it symbolizes David’s guilt and serves as a physical reminder of his own lie of omission.
The symbol is solidified through the revelation that the Jooky dog is fake; this is foreshadowed through the letter of authenticity, which reads, “I, Jooky Garafalo, hereby certify that I did not eat this half hot dog” (84). When Jooky reveals in Chapter 47 that the hot dog is not the famous hot dog from the contest, he explains that the certificate of authenticity “doesn’t actually say it was the particular half dog that Chestnut beat [him] by” (259). The wording of the letter is intentionally vague. As a result, the Jooky dog symbolizes the idea that lying by omission can be deeply detrimental in unforeseen ways.
Mal’s Carpet
Mal’s carpet is a symbol of comfort for Mal and a symbol of relief for the rest of the family. Mal’s carpet, an 8x3-foot “end scrap of some ugly commercial carpeting” (28), is used to roll Mal up like a burrito when he has a meltdown. David explains, “Being wrapped in the rug is the best way we’ve found to calm Mal down when he goes off” (28). When David’s hugging fails to soothe Mal, the rug succeeds. For Mal, the rug is a symbol of comfort and safety that allows him to recover from his sensory sensitivities and overwhelm. For the rest of the family, the rug also brings relief, and this connection is shown in Chapter 39 when the family gathers around the rug-wrapped Mal “as if he’s a miracle child in a manger” (212). The biblical imagery evokes a sense of peace, illustrating the relative calm in the aftermath of the meltdown. Overall, Mal’s carpet symbolizes both comfort and relief to Mal and David’s family as they use it to mitigate Mal’s overwhelm among the pressures of the neurotypical world.
