44 pages • 1 hour read
Mary Downing HahnTime for Andrew: A Ghost Story
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1994A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Defining Masculinity
Mary Downing Hahn explores the way masculinity is defined across generations by portraying two boys coming of age in different time periods. Drew, already struggling with identity and insecurity about his masculinity in the present, is forced to switch places with Andrew, a physically assertive, less emotional boy from the past. While the boys are inherently different, they are also products of their time. Throughout the novel, Drew begins to identify what behaviors others classify as masculinity and what influences these ideas. In the process, he also discovers the kind of boy he wants to be.
Before the supernatural element of the story is introduced, it is made clear that Drew struggles with his identity, particularly his sensitivity. His parents want him to be outdoorsy but assume he will stay inside all summer and read, implying this is a negative trait. His father warns him not to cry in the opening sequence, resulting in Drew hiding to avoid anyone seeing his tears, though he is unable to stop them altogether. Drew’s struggle with identity often centers around his emotions and more bookish, reserved nature, which directly contrasts with the behaviors of his archeologist father.
Andrew is also presented as a significant contrast to Drew, a foil his own age to emphasize the type of boy he isn’t and could be. Where Drew is tentative, Andrew is bold, courageous, and willing to speak his mind. Where Drew is conflict-avoidant, Andrew fights, takes on dares, and gets his hands dirty. Though Andrew and Drew look alike and share a similar physique, the way they interact with the world around them is incredibly different and demonstrates differences in the way boys are expected to behave. Where Andrew has been socialized to be more physical and bolder, Drew has been socialized to be more thoughtful and empathetic.
The differences between the two boys reaches into their emotional lives as well. While Drew is fairly comfortable naming and expressing his emotions, Andrew is much more intent on repressing his feelings. When Papa beats Drew with the belt, he openly cries and expresses his shock and disdain at a punishment he considers unfair and inappropriate. Theo claims that Andrew would not have cried or talked back in the past, revealing a cultural value that boys should not express their emotions and tears are a sign of weakness. Later, Andrew tries to project strength and stoicism when he clearly misses his family and longs to return to them. He can no longer hold in his tears when Hannah can’t see him and this emotional outburst helps Drew realize that he needs to try harder to win the marble game, for both of their sakes.
The disparity in understanding of appropriate male behavior reaches a climax when Drew faces Edward on the trestle. Edward and Theo understand the trestle to be a kind of coming-of-age ritual, where “boys come men” by showing their willingness to do something dangerous. Though Drew has been learning to behave more like Andrew, absorbing some of his boldness and bravery, he does not make a full transformation, discovering the elements of Andrew he would like to embody but retaining his sense of self. Rather than conform to Edward’s taunting view that masculinity requires performative danger, Drew jumps in the water for an entirely different reason, to save Edward’s life. He represents a different form of masculinity—one that represents empathy and stepping in to help people even if it requires endangering oneself.
Parenting Styles Across Generations
Through her use of time travel, Hahn explores the way parental roles have shifted over time, leading to different strengths and challenges faced by the parents and children alike. This theme intersects with Defining Masculinity, as many parenting variations addressed are due to patriarchal influences of the time periods. While Drew struggles with his relationship with his parents at the start of the book due to differences in their personalities and interests, he discovers that their tendency to treat him equally and empower his intellectual side is preferred over the stoicism and corporal punishment of parenting in the past. Both Drew and Andrew are deeply affected by the swapped parenting styles they face in their new time periods, suggesting that parental behavior has a major influence on a child’s demeanor and interests.
One of the biggest differences between the two time periods is the use of corporal punishment. When Drew gets in trouble with Papa, he is shocked to discover that Papa regularly lashes his children with a belt to punish them. Even though Drew has been timid around Papa up to this point, he is so appalled by this treatment he breaks his ruse as Andrew and calls out Papa for not being his real father. Drew explains that his father would never hit him but would talk to him about whatever conflict they were having. In this moment, Drew realizes that he greatly values the emphasis on discussion and equality in his relationship with his true parents. The use of corporal punishment, alternatively, emphasizes that physical strength equals supremacy and models authority on the ability to inflict pain. The boys reenact this power structure over and over again, when Theo encourages Drew to fight back against Edward and Edward physically intimidates Drew.
Papa also expects his boys to exhibit certain behaviors in the name of behaving like a “gentleman.” He demands that they walk away from conflicts with Edward and disengage from his taunts. Yet subjecting the boys to lashings acclimates them to violence and physical suffering and reinforces the power structure where physical strength equals authority. Despite what Papa says, his punishments contribute to the eventual physical conflict between Drew and Edward. Papa doesn’t particularly enjoy punishing the boys, doing so as if it is a requirement of fatherhood. Therefore, his logical beliefs that the boys shouldn’t engage in violence come from a moral standpoint, while his use of corporal punishment is simply a social norm and product of his time that has perhaps not been analyzed or second-guessed.
After Drew fights Edward, Edward tells Papa his side of the story. Papa brings the boys in for an expected round of punishment. He asks for the truth and hears about how Edward lied. Despite the vindication, he still punishes the boys for disobeying his orders to avoid Edward and the trestle. By the letter of his authority, the punishment is fair though Drew does not agree with it. However, he has absorbed more of the social conventions and accepts his punishment with the kind of stoicism Papa respects. Still, during dinner, Drew recognizes a kind of hidden message in Papa’s parenting. Though Papa had to punish him for disobeying him, he rewards Drew and Theo with good servings of dinner, subtly signifying that he is proud of the boys for taking on Edward.
In Andrew and Drew’s time swap, both characters learn from their new fathers and incorporate these new beliefs into their personas. Through Papa, Drew learns that sometimes, maturity is taking on an unwanted role to help someone else. Though Drew doesn’t agree with this logic in terms of corporal punishment, he also learns to understand where Papa is coming from and respect Papa’s customs, which he can see are sometimes uncomfortable and difficult even for Papa. Drew also learns how to assert himself and control his emotions through Papa. Andrew, alternatively, learns how to address his feelings and rely on reasoning and mutual respect in difficult situations. Both boys take these new lessons back to their original times, becoming new versions of themselves with greater perspective and awareness of the world beyond their individual families.
Personal Growth and Confidence
Time for Andrew fundamentally revolves around Drew’s journey building confidence and growing into himself. Drew starts the novel insecure about his identity and unsure of how to manage his feelings. Other characters and circumstances help Drew grow, and by the end of the story, Drew understands his own mind intimately, deliberately embodying the version of himself he chooses to be.
Hannah is one of the most significant sources of strength for Drew. She is warm and loving but adventurous and thrill-seeking in a way that pushes Drew outside his comfort zone. She encourages him to run about and climb trees, deepening his relationship with the outdoors. She teaches him to play marbles, giving him tangible skills that help him take control of his life. She engages him in bouts of boxing to encourage him to learn to defend himself against Edward. All this she does without judgement, allowing Drew to learn new skills and grow without fear of failure.
Theo also plays a role in Drew’s growing confidence. Drew sees over and over how much Theo looks up to his older brother. At first, Drew can’t seem to stop disappointing Theo with his unwillingness to stand up to Edward, his lack of interest in troublemaking mischief, and his embarrassing tendency to cry while getting whipped. Drew doesn’t want to disappoint Theo, and though that never causes him to fully compromise his morals, it does help inspire him to be brave when Edward falls off the trestle. Drew finally realizes that being a big brother means doing the brave thing and looking out for others when they might get hurt. Seeing himself through Theo’s eyes allows him to gain the confidence to rescue Edward.
Perhaps the most important source of confidence is Andrew himself. Drew engages with Andrew in a number of ways, both directly and indirectly. In his direct encounters with Andrew, Drew can see what a bold, self-assured boy looks like. He sees how Andrew pursues what he wants and faces scary things like illness and supernatural time-travel with stoicism. Drew also sees the more manipulative side of Andrew and experiments with some of those behaviors. Drew also engages indirectly with Andrew by seeing the way other people perceived Andrew and trying to live up to those expectations. Living as Andrew frees Drew from the constraints of living as himself. He can be bolder and more reckless because people expect him to be. The model Andrew leaves for him allows him to be a better big brother to Theo and gain the ability to stand his ground, both as Andrew and as himself.
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