Solo

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | YA | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Pages 1-100

Part 1, Pages 101-205

Part 2, Pages 206-304

Part 2, Pages 305-457

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Insects

Biting and stinging insects are symbolic of pain, death, and loss. Sunny, who was joyful and full of life, passed away due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting, leaving a hole in the lives of Blade, Storm, and Rutherford. Following Sunny’s death, Rutherford is so distraught that he quits his band and develops substance abuse disorder. The symbolism continues as a mosquito bite leads to the high school valedictorian’s becoming sick right before commencement, leaving Blade, as the salutatorian, to give the speech.

When Blade meets Joy in Konko, she describes the village’s struggles with malaria: “[T]wenty thousand children die each year from [malaria]. The mosquitoes are treacherous” (244). This information foreshadows Sia’s death from malaria after being bitten by a mosquito. Sia’s young life, full of potential, despite her status as an orphan, was cut short by an insect. Blade writes a poem while Sia is sick: “The mosquito // is an invisible murderer, / piercing possibility / sucking futures […] and it shows / no mercy. / It won’t even spare / the children” (432). While the biting ants Rutherford encounters on their way to meet Lucy do not cause death, they do cause pain and loss of time on the way.

Spiders

Spiders, in contrast to insects, are symbols of intelligence, perseverance, kindness, and knowledge. Blade assumes that the spiders in his dreams are evil, but after completing his journey, he realizes that the spider in his dream is a manifestation of himself. Blade takes Charlotte’s Web, with the brilliant and kind spider Charlotte, to Ghana with him as his connection to Sunny. Toward the end of the story, Lucy and Rutherford solve the mystery of what the spider represents for Blade in his dreams. Rutherford remembers that Blade loved the book Anansi the Spider, and Lucy’s description of how Ghana views Anansi helps Blade to see his dream for what it really is. Lucy says, “You’ve been dreaming up your childhood, my dear […] remembering the gift you have. Your father tells / me you are a natural storyteller, that you weave powerful / songs” (422). With these revelations, Blade can face the spider in his dream and the knowledge that he now has—with kindness—helped his father and others, including himself, overcome their challenges.

Guitars

Guitars within the narrative symbolize love, loyalty, and hope. Blade shares that “In [his] house / guitars / are the holy grail, / the keepers // of [their] secrets / and [their] prayers” (43). Rutherford and Blade are deeply attached to their guitars, as Rutherford is never without one and Blade personifies his, naming it Sunny, after his mother. Blade’s guitar is a rare and priceless “custom-built / Eddie Van Halen / Frankenstrat” (41). He adores the guitar, because he is able to visualize his mother’s laugh while he plays it and imagines it is his connection to her after her death. Blade’s and Rutherford’s guitars symbolize love for music, for family, friends, and for life. When Blade smashes his beloved guitar after finding out he is adopted and discovering Chapel’s betrayal, he thinks he is trying to “DESTROY all the love that was once played” (199).

In Africa, Rutherford’s guitar playing gives the children in Konko joy and hope. When Blade delays his mountain trek to help Rutherford, he shows his loyalty to his father; he plays his new guitar for the first time, supporting Rutherford’s recovery. Playing his guitar gives Blade emotional release and the strength to cope with the challenges that lie ahead.