The Bully

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Hatchet

At a key moment in the novel, Darrell’s English teacher, Mr. Mitchell, gives him a copy of Gary Paulsen’s novel Hatchet. This classic coming-of-age survival story comes to symbolize Darrell’s potential inner toughness, showing him how he can strengthen his resolve to face difficult situations. Hatchet describes teenager Brian’s attempts to survive in the Canadian wilderness on his own after a plane crash. Brian faces many physical and emotional hardships but finds the strength to persevere through illness, injury, and loneliness without tipping into despair. By the end of the novel, he has matured into a person who controls his own fate.

At first, Darrell is reluctant to read the book and doubts that it can teach him anything. However, reading Hatchet helps Darrell recognize his tendency to feel helpless about his life. When Darrell feels particularly alone because of Tyray, reading about Brian facing the wilds shows Darrell that others have experienced the same seemingly incurable loneliness. Inspired by Brian’s resilience, Darrell asks what he can do to change life at Bluford. Rather than remaining passive, Darrell makes proactive choices, such as going to the dance, joining the wrestling team, and helping Miss Bea. When Darrell wants to give up, Brian’s hardships push him to keep trying.

Hatchet also represents the thoughtful support of Mr. Mitchell, one of the novel’s paternal figures. During a low moment, Darrell considers throwing the book away but doesn’t want to let down the teacher who has given him the chance to grow.

Wrestling

Wrestling is a motif that plays an important role in the novel and supports the theme of Smarts Versus Strength. By participating in the sport, Darrell comes to use wrestling as a lens through which to analyze and understand other conflicts in his life. Coach Lewis’s supportive approach to wrestling emphasizes that determination and strategy are more important than physical size and strength. This idea changes Darrell’s conception of himself. Rather than feeling despair about his body, he looks for ways to use his brain to overcome obstacles.

In Darrell’s first match, he temporarily gives up, losing points that could have allowed him to win. This experience becomes a metaphor: It is a mistake to give up halfway through rather than searching for ways to cleverly defeat an opponent. In his final confrontation with Tyray, Darrell uses his brain because he cannot rely on brawn. Rather than try to overpower Tyray, he waits for Tyray to make a mistake and uses one of his wrestling moves on him. Strategy and resolve end up trumping physical strength and size.

Wrestling also provides a safe environment for Darrell to learn and grow without fear of failure. The team leaders foster a supportive and encouraging camaraderie among wrestlers. Being allowed to lose bouts without losing the respect of his teammates builds Darrell’s confidence and self-esteem. As fellow wrestlers note his improvement, Darrell lets go of his embarrassment about his body. When Uncle Jason next shames him about being small, Darrell has had enough experience in a healthy environment to defend himself.

Lunch Money

Darrell’s lunch money becomes a highly charged symbol in the novel because it represents the hard work Darrell’s mother puts into their family. Darrell has a considerable amount of shame about his family’s socioeconomic status; he bristles whenever anyone accuses him and his mother of being poor. Darrell loves and respects his mother and hates that anyone would ridicule her. When Tyray starts taking Darrell’s money, Darrell feels like he has betrayed his mother after her many sacrifices on his behalf. Of all the indignities and injuries Darrell faces at the hands of Tyray, the lost lunch money is the most painful—all the more so because Darrell agrees to give the money away willingly rather than face having it taken by force.

When Darrell finally finds the strength to change his life, the first big symbolic step is the decision to stop handing over the lunch money. He can take the ridicule, humiliation, and physical pain, but he is no longer willing to betray his mother’s trust. The reclamation of his lunch money gives Darrell his agency back and symbolizes his liberation from Tyray.