Firegirl

“My mother says it’s because I don’t ‘get out there.’”

Tom is largely unnoticed by his classmates and adults. Tom chooses his isolation, preferring his imaginary adventures to social engagement. In his adventures, Tom is large and in charge, while his real-life interactions are awkward, and he has trouble expressing himself.

“I was just a sweaty, fat kid with baggy pants, and she was Courtney Zisky.”

Tom has an uncomplimentary self-image which reflects his lack of confidence. He believes that his appearance automatically keeps him from being noticed by, and becoming friends with, popular Courtney. Tom, like Jessica, although on a much different scale, feels he is also socially judged by his appearance. 

“I felt I could hold onto everything better if I never talked about it and nobody ever knew. As long as it stayed mine, it could still happen. It could.”

Tom keeps his feelings and emotions to himself, effectively keeping away others’ criticism or ridicule, to maintain his magical thinking. As long as reality does not pierce his daydreams, they may come true.

“It’ll be a great way to learn about ourselves and the way people work together…”

Mrs. Tracy sees the class election as a microcosm of adult politics and social interaction. Her comment about learning to work together is significant in that the election brings out the best and worst of some of her students: Jeff uses it as an opportunity for revenge, while Jessica uses it to show her friendship for Tom. The election ultimately pushes Tom to speak out.

“My neck felt thick and stiff. There was a lump in my throat and a high ringing in my ears.”

Conflict and social and emotional distress cause Tom to feel ill. These physical, or somatic symptoms reveal Tom’s difficulty in expressing his thoughts and feelings.

“As if being in that skin would make you want to scream and scream and scream until you died.”

Tom is initially horrified by Jessica’s appearance, but he also empathizes with how she must feel being trapped inside a disfigured body. Tom’s empathy enables him to eventually see beyond Jessica’s difference.

“Let’s set it on fire and burn it up. It’ll get all drippy. Like her.”

Burning the Batmobile shows Jeff’s animosity, callousness, and lack of compassion towards Jessica. He sees her as something inhuman and fundamentally different from other kids. Jeff’s attitude stands in stark contrast to that of Tom.

“It almost began to feel as if there was a person in there.”

Tom admonishes himself for thinking this, saying it is “seems stupid to even say something like that” (47), but he acknowledges that he is also affected by Jessica’s physical difference. Unlike Jeff, however, Tom recognizes that Jessica is as human, and sensitive as everyone else, illustrating the theme of accepting difference.

“This was the first time her burned hands would be part of the prayer ring.”

Tom’s comment provides a striking visual of unity and kindness. Ironically, the prayer ring is broken by division and unkindness when Jeff refuses to take Jessica’s hand and goes unpunished for his cruel act. The image of the broken prayer ring is depicted on the novel’s cover.

“I hated it, but everyone (the whole class and me, too) seemed happier the days she wasn’t there.”

Jessica’s does not fit into the daily class routine, and Tom’s class does not view her as belonging to their community. They do not strive to include or integrate her, and so Jessica remains a stranger. When she is gone, they can all act “normally” again. This quote illustrates the novel’s motif of normality and its opposition to difference.

“Mostly you’re fairly useless; nobody thinks you can do anything at all. Until you really need to do something; then it comes out.”

This quote sums up Tom’s theory of small superpowers and how they are perfect for ordinary people like him, but it also encapsulates Tom’s feeling about his personality. In his imaginary adventures, his single small power enables him to be the hero. In real life, ordinary Tom finds his voice and becomes an everyday hero. The small acts of Tom’s kindness and acceptance make a big impact on Jessica’s life, and Tom’s own.

“The wind goes through the leaves in the trees and I feel like I could move out into it. I figure if I go out far enough I’m not here anymore.”

Jessica is used to staying still during her treatments, and at home, she lies in bed imagining she can glide out of her window. Her confession to Tom shows a desire to leave her body—to disassociate. Jessica’s comment also reflects her isolation and possible depression.

“And she was alive and going on. She was going to school!”

Learning that Jessica is the girl in the photograph, hearing the story of her accident, and contemplating the emotional strength Jessica displays are emotional revelations that overwhelm empathetic Tom. He has trouble processing these ideas and emotions, but this moment is a turning point in his upward growth.

“Something’s different now. I’m different now.”

When Tom fully understands Jessica as a person—and an exceptional person, a tough survivor of something that even Tom cannot imagine—he feels changed. Small things like his imaginary adventures and the ridiculous rumors about Jessica seem less important than before. Tom is beginning to learn about what he values, illustrating Abbott’s theme of self-discovery and revealing his coming-of-age trajectory.

“You and me, Cobraman.”

Using the draw of the Cobra, Jeff works to reestablish his friendship with Tom and pull Tom away from Jessica, whom Jeff views almost as an enemy. The fact that Jeff completely spaces calling Tom to let him know the Cobra is not coming supports Tom’s thoughts that Jeff does not care about others and helps Tom recognize what he wants in a friend.

“Does everything have to be about being burned?”

Tom grows excited to potentially have a long-time dream realized: the Cobra. Tom’s comment reveals his desire for a return normalcy but also feelings of guilt and resentment towards Jessica. Some of his immaturity also shows through here, as he doesn’t consider that Jessica—a person who likely has interests and ambitions of her own—is anything other than “burned.”

“There aren’t supposed to be people like that.”

Jeff’s reaction suggests that Jessica should have died rather than live to be an affront to “normal” people. Jeff reveals his hatred of Jessica, and his exclusionary attitude towards anyone different.

“I was suddenly a tiny invisible thing with no voice. Too small to do anything. And it was too late.”

Tom’s difficulty in speaking up makes him feel powerless and useless. His lack of self-confidence prevents him from successfully nominating Jessica, something for which he feels ashamed and guilty. Tom thinks he did not stand up for their friendship the way Jessica did by saying his name.

“Even here and now, she was still in that car.”

Tom understands that Jessica’s traumatic experience and her burns will affect her for her entire life. She will never physically return to the person she was, and emotionally will always face shocked, fearful, hurtful reactions from others. 

“Freaking firegirl!”

Abbott uses Jeff’s pejorative name for Jessica as the title of the novel, immediately cluing readers into the novel’s theme of difference and acceptance. Jeff’s curse reflects his anger at Tom for accepting Jessica and her difference and rejecting Jeff and his prejudice. 

. “Every time I go in the hospital, I find out all over again about what really matters. This doesn’t.”

Revealing her inner strength, Jessica teaches Tom that regular, everyday school drama is insignificant in comparison to deeper concerns of life and death, family, and meaningful friendships. This understanding helps Tom evaluate his own priorities.

“I imagined her face as it was now. It faded into the one in the picture, then moved away and came back different still.”

Tom shows that he fully accepts Jessica for who she is. His new imagining combines both her past and present into a different, whole personality.

“Maybe I will. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get out there.”

Jessica’s brief friendship strengthens Tom’s sense of self. He can now interact with Courtney and considers using his superhero powers for the benefit of others. Tom imagines what Jessica would say to him and sometimes acts on her imagined advice, showing that he is more self-reflective and open to social engagement.