51 pages • 1 hour read
Lauren TarshisI Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary
By the time the Tuckers escape to the roof, the water has risen to the attic level. Roddy instructs everyone to stay together. When Barry emerges onto the roof, the rain and wind sting his face “like a million bees” (42). The family lays on the roof huddled together and just as Barry begins to feel calmer, a loud thud echoes against the roof. Cleo jumps up, wondering if Akivo has arrived. The wind pushes her forward, nearly knocking her down, but Barry jumps up and grabs her, Roddy helping to pull Cleo back to safety. Before Barry can rejoin his family, another strong gust of wind knocks him off the roof and into the water.
Chapter 10 Summary
A tide of water sweeps Barry again, and he struggles to keep his head above water. The water drags him along until he runs into a tree, which he latches onto tightly. Barry pulls himself up the trunk of the tree until he reaches the top and surveys the landscape around him, which is entirely engulfed in water.
He begins screaming out his family’s names, but only the wind responds. Then, a shadow looms over him and Barry looks up to see a house pushing through the water toward him. Barry sees one side of the house is missing and realizes that he needs to get out of the way before the house crashes into him. Barry jumps into the water as the house hits the tree and the current begins to drag Barry away. He swims against the current until he reaches the house and recognizes the sky-blue color, realizing that it is Abe Mackay’s house. Suddenly, Barry hears the sound of frantic barking and realizes that he is not alone: Cruz is somewhere in the house.
Chapter 11 Summary
Barry’s heart pounds as Cruz’s barking continues, and Barry wonders whether Cruz may emerge and attack him. As he ponders whether or not to leave, the barking subsides and instead, Barry hears whimpering. Barry realizes that Cruz is not a killer dog, but a terrified one and seems to be crying out for help. Barry climbs in through the window and begins wading through the dirty water flooding the house, following the sounds of Cruz’s barks until he finds him chained to the bedpost in Abe’s room.
For a moment, Barry pauses, still wondering whether Cruz is dangerous, before unleashing Cruz, who leaps up and begins licking Barry’s chin in harmless excitement. Barry looks down at Cruz, who looks up at him as if asking, “What now? [...] What should we do?” (63), and Barry realizes that he no longer has to face the storm alone now that he and Cruz are in this together.
Chapter 12 Summary
Barry leads Cruz to an undamaged part of the house so Barry can sit and think over what to do next. Cruz begins whining and panting, and Barry realizes that Cruz is thirsty. He leads them down to the kitchen and is overjoyed to find some provisions in the refrigerator, including a large bottle of water. As Barry reaches for a plastic bag that floats by to put the food and water in, Cruz lunges toward Barry, knocking him out of the way of a large black snake that swims by. Barry wonders whether the snake is a water moccasin, recalling his grandpa’s stories of Hurricane Betsy, during which poisonous snakes bit people in the flooded streets after the storm. Barry quickly grabs whatever food he can, and he and Cruz go back upstairs.
In Abe’s room, Barry gives Cruz food and water, and Barry eats as well. When they finish, Barry leans back against the wall of the bedroom, and Cruz sits in his lap. As Barry strokes Cruz’s head, he realizes that Cruz is not a killer after all—just a stray from one of the New Orleans shelters. As Barry ponders what to do next, he begins singing “Blueberry Hill” to Cruz, who licks his face and then falls asleep on his lap. Barry too begins falling asleep, listening to the sound of Hurricane Katrina still raging outside.
Chapters 9-12 Analysis
In these middle chapters, Barry falls headfirst, literally and figuratively, into the main conflict and becomes separated from his family as the storm forces him to begin his journey on his own. Barry becomes separated from his family in part because of his bravery. When Cleo nearly falls off the roof, Barry does not hesitate to save her: “Barry’s hand shot out and grabbed Cleo by the back of her shirt” (53). This puts Barry in the position to fall off the roof and into the water, the tide quickly carrying him away.
Thus begins Barry’s adventure as the storm forces him to make quick decisions to ensure his survival. As when he shot out his hand to save his sister, part of Barry’s survival relies on instinct: “Almost without thinking, Barry threw his arms around the trunk. The water pulled him, trying to suck him back into the flood. But he held on” (55). Barry’s adrenaline and sheer will to survive is enough to carry him through the early moments of the storm, his body acting in self-preservation seemingly independent of his mind as his entire being focuses on the sole goal of avoiding lethal harm. Still, this kind of decision-making can only take one so far, as Barry soon learns when he encounters the dog he fears, Cruz, and needs to begin making critical decisions to ensure his survival.
These chapters illustrate that Bravery and Fear go hand in hand as Barry learns to push through his feelings to discover the true depths of his character. When Barry first discovers Cruz, abandoned, in Abe’s flooded house, Barry’s immediate instinct is to run in fear: “Barry’s heart pounded. That dog was crazy. [...] Barry had to get out of here!” (60). Barry almost goes back into the floodwaters to avoid encountering Cruz, putting his life further at risk. Instead, the sound of Cruz’s distressed whimpers softens Barry: “[I]t was the saddest sound Barry had ever heard [...] Barry knew what he had to do” (60). Barry pushes through his fear to save Cruz, discovering that Cruz is not the killer animal that Barry believed him to be, but a frightened and misunderstood creature who needs help to survive the flood. This also illustrates Barry’s strength of character: He is not someone who would leave an animal, even one he fears, to perish in the floodwaters of Katrina, even if it meant putting himself at risk.
By exhibiting bravery in the face of fear, Barry earns a companion and finds a new purpose to drive his survival journey forward: “He wasn’t alone anymore. He and Cruz were together” (63). Barry and Cruz’s relationship exhibits the importance of companionship in Surviving Against the Odds. Cruz gives Barry something to care for and focus on, keeping his attention and mindset in the present moment.
These chapters also illustrate the two sides of survival: the physical and the mental. Cruz and Barry’s basic needs for food and water, necessary for physical strength and survival, inspire Barry to go downstairs and check the refrigerator. There he finds enough provisions for the both of them. Through taking care of Cruz, Barry learns that survival during a natural disaster is often a moment-by-moment process with small, incremental goals that contribute to the larger picture. Cruz likewise looks out for Barry, protecting him from unseen threats such as the water moccasin: “Cruz let out a ferocious bark and rammed his body against Barry, almost knocking him down” (65). Once again, the importance of companionship to survival is paramount: Cruz’s protection of Barry spares him from a potentially lethal outcome.
With their basic needs met and physical well-being secure for now, Barry finds himself and Cruz now left with the task of waiting out the storm. Barry can focus on their emotional well-being Barry’s instincts, learned from his father, come into play here as he begins singing “Blueberry Hill” to Cruz to keep him calm: “Barry kept singing [...] until Cruz put his head on Barry’s knee and closed his eyes” 68). These chapters illustrate that while the physical part of survival is necessary and often needs to take precedence, the mental aspect of survival is just as integral to one’s success.
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