Whirligig

At the start of Whirligig, Brent, a junior in high school, is emotionally and intellectually shallow. Impatient and quick-tempered, he throws “tantrums” when his desires are thwarted (9). His primary motivation is the acquisition of material goods in the pursuit of social status. His interests seem limited to cars and clothes. Deeply insecure, he craves approval from others. Even his private thoughts about music and romance reveal a lack of independence. He listens to the music that he perceives to be “cool” and focuses solely on looks, money, and popularity when considering his attraction to Brianna:

“Her father, rumor had it, was worth a hundred million[…]she was gorgeous[…] And why shouldn't she like him? He was tall, a little skinny perhaps, a bit uncoordinated, but reasonably handsome, with a square chin and no braces or acne” (6, 12). 

Brent also has “straight blond hair,” which he grooms like “the models in GQ” (5). His apparent good looks reinforce the implication that the transparent desperation of his desire to fit in and his lack of self-awareness are off-putting to his peers.

Brent’s brief interactions with his parents reveal that they are similarly materialistic. His family life, characterized by his father’s stress, TV dinners, and frequent moving, contributes to the angst and loneliness that lead Brent to drink too much, lose his temper, and attempt suicide after the party.

The car crash is a symbolic death of Brent’s old self. The death of Lea and his subsequent journey lead him to undergo a drastic transformation as he develops an independent character. The physical labor and attention to detail required to build whirligigs forces Brent to overcome his tendency to lose his temper. Away from his family for the first time, Brent encounters new role models, people who display self-sufficiency and wide learning. He becomes intellectually curious and takes new pleasure in learning about the world, as shown by his interest in stars, shells, and birds. He does not seem to worry about his appearance anymore after the crash, even forgetting to bring shampoo onto his trip and washing his hair with soap, “leaving it stiff as cardboard” (64). His attention, in general, turns “outward” rather than remaining held captive by his own insecurities (52). Instead of looking for the fashionable radio stations, he decides to create his own music by learning to play the harmonica. His conformist impulses wane as he becomes comfortable with solitude and forms a new conception of community. By the end of the book, Brent also becomes more aware of his emotions, a process that culminates in his confession to the painter that he tried to kill himself. Though the completion of Mrs. Zamora’s request to build the whirligigs allows Brent to come to terms with his guilt, he acknowledges that it will continue to “reside in him like the ashes after a fire” (132).