Zane and the Hurricane

“Because you can’t miss somebody you never knew, can you?” 

Zane’s rhetorical question makes a dramatic point to readers that it does not matter that he did not know his father. But readers quickly see that Zane’s protests mask the truth. Zane knows that “way down deep” it does matter (166).

“My singin’ voice so young it still go out dancin’ on Sat’day night. There, I made you smile.”

Miss Trissy has lived in New Orleans for decades and speaks in a regional dialect. Her speech indicates strong community ties. Here, Miss Trissy also reveals her sense of humor and her own use of figurative language, something she and Zane have in common.

“James got hissef killed, like so many other young mens.”

Miss Trissy’s enigmatic statement makes Zane curious about his uncle James and his father Gerald, which may be Miss Trissy’s intent: to get Zane more connected to his family. Miss Trissy also obliquely refers to the troubling information that young Black men are more often killed by gun violence than white adolescents.

“‘I come to sing for my great-grandchild I never knew I had,’” she says all in a burst, like she’s been saving it up and has to get it out fast.” 

Finding out that she has a great-grandson fills Miss Trissy with joy, giving her new family connections cherish. Her loving, welcoming response to Zane makes Zane begin to realize the value of knowing about his relations.

“The place was full of Miss Trissy and all her stories and her pictures and her songs, and for some reason me and Bandy don’t seem to fill up the empty.” 

Miss Trissy and her house embody generations of family history, tradition, connections, and culture. Her absence reveals what a full, rich presence Miss Trissy exerts. 

“The phone line is dead and the wind…well, the wind begins to scream.”

The figurative language Zane uses in his descriptions evoke emotion in the readers and make the events he experiences even more dramatic. His descriptions also make things that are hard to visualize more relatable. Here, Zane uses personification to indicate the fearsome nature of the wind.

“But now is when I wish I’d put more effort into gym class.” 

Zane’s gym class story reveals his low sense of self-esteem. Zane was embarrassed at his weakness and instead of working on improving himself and building his strength, he dismissed the exercise.

“But where did it get me, all that stupid family stuff? Trapped in an attic, that’s where!” 

Zane initially regrets visiting New Orleans—even though he appreciates Miss Trissy and her stories—and blames his predicament on everyone’s insistence that he learn about his family history. By novel’s end, Zane’s viewpoint changes, and his only regret is ever calling New Orleans Smellyville.

“Not blood, but family just the same.” 

Tru acts as family towards Malvina: He is her guardian while her mom is in rehab. While Tru says he is not a blood relative, Malvina disagrees. To Malvina, family is those who share with her a deep bond of loyalty and love. 

“Precious things and garbage all mixed together, lifted by the flood.” 

The aftermath of the hurricane is disconcerting for Zane, pushing him out of his self-absorption and awakening his empathy as he begins to understand the magnitude of the tragedy. 

“Everything in this city about the music.” 

Music plays an important role in the novel. It is central to Tru’s identity and cultural heritage and a key part of Miss Trissy’s life, connecting her to her faith and community. Music represents hope, faith, and joy.

“We gotta laugh, right, Tru?”

Malvina’s jokes help her cope with both her mother’s absence and the destruction of her neighborhood, key parts of her life that are now missing. Her comedy keeps the friends’ spirits up and gives them hope.

“My mom always says a smile is easier to catch than a cold and as usual, she’s right.” 

Throughout the novel, Zane recalls and applies his mother’s sayings to different situations, showing his mother’s influence and their close bond.

“Something powerful is happening, even if I can’t quite see it. Something bigger than the storm, bigger than the ruined city, something awesome and terrible, rising up from destruction.”

Zane’s sense of foreboding is accurate: “The bad stuff isn’t over” (98). Zane foreshadows the friends’ experiences with discrimination and its insidious impact on other survivors trapped in the city.

“This a place don’t take kindly to strangers” 

Tru’s cautionary comment about the wealthy neighborhood shows that he has experienced racial discrimination in the past. He fears that he, Zane, and Malvina will be perceived as dangerous because they are Black in a white neighborhood, emphasizing Philbrick’s theme of inequity and injustice.

“Rugs? That what this all about, rescuin’ some kinda rugs?”

Tru is disgusted that the mansion owners would pay to have possessions saved when so many people are displaced and suffering. The word “rescue” becomes ironic. People need rescuing, not objects. Similarly, an injured old man, two kids, and a small dog who clearly do need rescuing, are instead, ironically, labelled as threats.

“‘He sees we po’ and black,’ Mr. Tru says.”

Boss Man assumes Tru, Malvina, and Zane are dishonest because of their race and apparent poverty. This is an example of racial profiling, which is a form of systemic racism.

“Son should know about his daddy, even if he gone. ‘Specially if he gone. Maybe you think it don’t matter, but it do.” 

Tru emphasizes the importance of the father-son bond. He acts as a mentor for Zane, guiding him to recognize the importance of family.

“‘What kind of ship never sinks?’” “‘A Friendship!’” 

This is Tru’s favorite of all Malvina’s jokes. It shows Tru’s own kindly nature, and alludes to the enduring power of friendship, one of the novel’s major themes.

“‘We all whistling past the graveyard,’ Mr. Tru says, tapping the brim of his beat-up top hat.” 

Tru has a superstitious streak—as shown by his faith in his lucky hat—but his comment acknowledges that he, Zane, and Malvina and all the other refugees crossing the bridge are putting on a show of confidence, when inside they are all frightened and anxious about the death and destruction around them.

“In the background Malvina is shouting, ‘You shot my friend! You shot my friend!’” 

Malvina views Bandy as a cherished friend, instead of “only a dog” as one of the cops says (155). Zane, who knows how important true friendship is to Malvina, appreciates her including Bandy in her tight-knit family of friends, and it makes him value her friendship even more.

“Girl, you’re an itsy-bitsy thing, but you have the heart of a lioness.” 

Belinda praises Malvina’s bravery, which is much larger than Malvina’s small physical stature would suggest. Belinda uses a female-gendered version of the saying, calling Malvina a “lioness” instead of a lion, which adds the connotation that Malvina, mama-lion like, protects her family and loved ones.

“You’re exactly who he would have wanted you to be.”

After all of Zane’s pretense that he did not care about his father, Belinda sees how important the knowledge of Gerald is to him. Belinda reassures Zane that Gerald would be proud of the young man he has become, which helps improve Zane’s self-concept.