Night of the Twisters

“Unless you count the long cirrus clouds strung across the morning sky as Arthur and I pedaled off to Aunt Goldie’s, there were no warnings at all that day in June. None.”

Dan’s feeling of being blindsided by the destruction he will face illustrates the happy, carefree childhood he lived before the storm. He states that there were no warnings but goes on to describe several signs of the storms ahead, from the strange clouds to wind and hail. These weather conditions aren’t noticed by Dan or Arthur as they ride their bikes around their neighborhood, feeling secure that nothing truly terrible will happen. Dan’s retroactive, more mature look at how the day proceeded demonstrates his lack of awareness and the growing pains that have taken place since the night of the twisters.

“The way the wind was whipping those trees around at the state park should have clued me that something big was on the way, but I wasn’t worried then.”

Dan’s more concerned with his crush on Arthur’s older sister, Stacey, than he is at the breeze picking up speed in this section. He still feels secure in his neighborhood and is more worried about pressing childhood matters, such as whether the girl he likes will ride on his bike with him. This passage continues the foreboding build up to the storms that permeates the narrative at the beginning of the novel.

“Isn’t it funny how you remember all the crummy little details on one of those black-letter days?”

Dan returns to his street after swimming at the park, where he notices that newspapers are scattered everywhere. He notes that he remembers such a small detail from that day, but points out that it’s not uncommon to remember such things. He compares his memory to his parents’ remembering certain things about the day President Kennedy was shot and his neighbor Belle Smiley’s memory of a bug on her screen door the day of Pearl Harbor. This passage demonstrates Dan’s growth in maturity as he retroactively parallels his experiences alongside the experiences the adults in his life have had in the face of disaster.

“Before Ryan was born, Mom used to call Arthur and me her twins, meaning my buddy and I were practically inseparable.”

Dan provides insight into his home life in this passage, implying that he was able to spend more time with his best friend, Arthur. As his mother’s responsibilities grew with a newborn, she requires more responsibility from Dan. This increase in accountability that comes with a new sibling means less time with Arthur for Dan, and more time helping his mother around the house. His mother’s comparison of Dan and Arthur as twins demonstrates the level of separation he’s feeling and the growing pains he’s going through as he reluctantly helps to care for his brother.

“Later, during supper, with my baby brother fussing and spitting applesauce all over, I remembered how nice and peaceful meals were six months ago.”

Initially, Dan’s attitude towards his baby brother is one of resentment. Dan misses the days when the house was quieter, and he was the center of attention. At dinner, his parents used to talk about their day and ask him about his. He no longer feels seen, and he feels that everything has changed and everyone is now preoccupied with Ryan. Dan’s resentment indicates his conflict within himself as he is forced to become more mature, but he wants to maintain his only-child way of life where the focus is more on him.

“He let the back door slam behind him, but I could still hear what he said as he got in the pickup: ‘the sun doesn’t rise and set on you!’”

Dan’s father chastises him for protesting against helping to clean the dishes because Arthur is visiting. His statement that the sun doesn’t revolve around Dan strikes Dan and hurts his feelings. Dan thinks to himself that he never felt like everything revolved around him, but it hurts him all the same. Dan continues to think about his father’s words after he leaves, and his hurt represents the continuation of the growth Dan is painfully undergoing. The reprimand to think more of others instead of himself strikes a nerve, indicating that there’s more growth ahead.

“I’ll always be glad I took time to notice how beautiful Sand Crane Drive looked in that weird half-light. Up and down the street trees swayed in unison, like dancers in a chorus line.”

Dan notices his street and how it looks as the wind blows the trees. In the few moments he takes to notice his surroundings, he’s later glad that he took the time to appreciate it, since the twisters later destroyed them. The trees reflect the changes happening in Dan’s life as they’re leveled for new growth. Dan, too, must face changes that, at the time, are painful and erase old relationship structures for new development to occur.

“Then she demonstrated the lock and explained how her new door didn’t squeak, didn’t slam, didn’t swell up and get stuck in the kind of drippy, drizzly weather we’d been having.”

Mrs. Smiley shows off her new storm door, after her son nagged her into getting a new one to replace her previous door that had patches from World War II. The new door starkly contrasts the old patchwork door, symbolizing Dan’s life before the twisters to his life after the twisters. The new door is built with a better understanding of how to protect a home against a storm, much like Dan’s new life comes with deeper understanding of what’s truly important.

“And that’s the way it was last summer, the third of June. Without knowing it, we were all waiting for something to happen.”

Dan, Arthur, and Arthur’s mother have little-to-no preparedness in the face of the storm. No warning signs were heeded, and the discussion focuses on Arthur’s mother’s newest romance book, instead of the weather and concerns about it. The unawareness and little concern the characters cost them dearly and establish the foundation for taking care to be alert as storm warnings arrive. This passage also reminds the readers that Dan, as the narrator, is looking back on his experiences from the future to tell the story.

“Sometime in there, in the middle of all that comedy on the screen, the siren began. Now, that is a very sobering sound.”

Dan’s denial and unawareness continue to play out as he and his mother don’t think the weather will affect them so severely as it does. The concern begins to bubble to the surface, and the comedy shows how Dan tries to calm himself with a few laughs. The urgency of the situation is brought to the forefront as the siren cuts through the television program, prompting Dan to face reality.

“At the same time we heard these really strange sounds that stopped us in our tracks. They were coming from the bathroom and the kitchen. Sucking sounds. The drains were sucking!”

Along with the sirens, the TV is displaying a message that there’s a Civil Defense Emergency. Although the tornadoes have not yet arrived in their immediate area, Dan and Arthur hear horrible sucking noises and realize it’s coming from the drains. The descriptions of the situation add to the sense of urgency in the novel. Dan and Arthur now know the tornadoes are on their way and they must move quickly.

“With the whole world blowing to pieces around us, Ryan took my hand and made me feel better.”

Dan is scared and upset, but his little brother Ryan grabs his hand. Dan starts to cry, realizing that having his brother there with him is comforting. Even with all the destruction around them, they still have each other. This is a turning point for Dan as he has fully realized the seriousness of his situation, and facing this reality, he is able to see what truly matters in life.

“With the temperature dropping and the water rising, we couldn’t stay in the shower stall forever. What were we going to do?”

Dan rises to his responsibility as the older brother as he cradles infant Ryan in his arms, with rainwater rising around him as he stands in a shower stall after the roof has been ripped off of his home. Dan feels the pressure to immediately come up with a plan and figure out how to get out of the basement. He must take responsibility for Ryan and ensure his brother is safe. Although he knows the situation is tense, he must think calmly and rationally, stepping up to the accountability that he has avoided previously.

“You can do without all kinds of things—your house, your bike, your room, a whole city of people—if you have the ones you love.”

This passage highlights one of the main messages of the novel that the most important thing in life is our loved ones. The author speaks through Dan to communicate that the worries in life do not matter as much if one has their loved ones with them. This indicates the amount of maturity Dan has achieved as well. He previously grumbled about how his house became louder after Ryan was born; he was concerned with his bike and whether his crush would ride on it; and he grumbled about being moved out of his room for Ryan’s nursery. Dan now sees, through his character growth, that these complaints hold no real meaning.

“For a second I forgot all about Smiley. Stacey looked so beautiful hanging over that windowsill, her hair whipping across her red and swollen cheek. I was beginning to think of her as a rescuing angel or something.”

Dan, though faced with a natural disaster that destroyed his home, is still a teenager attracted to his crush. Amid helping Mrs. Smiley out of her home, Dan is still struck by Stacey and her angelic features. This passage serves to center Dan back to his age, as he takes on adult responsibility and traits. He has cared for his infant brother, prevented Arthur’s panic, and convinced his mother that he can assist in saving Mrs. Smiley. However, though he has taken on the role of an adult in the narrative, he’s taken aback by his crush’s beauty in the moment.

“The sky grumbled all the way across and back again as I sent up one more desperate prayer.”

Dan’s only concern is seeing his family again. This passage indicates how he has matured from being unaware of his surroundings to gauging the weather and understanding its meaning. After enduring the twisters, he is fully aware of the dangers behind the sky and its grumbling. He’s also aware of his power in the situation as his concern grows for his father and grandparents. He knows now he can’t do much more than pray since no one has much information.

“I gave up listening and stared at the blackness outside the window, concentrating on the little warm spot I had inside me: Mom and Ryan. I’d be with them soon.”

After straining to listen to news on the police radio, Dan gives up and thinks about his mom and Ryan instead, which makes him happy. Thoughts of his family bring him comfort and warmth amid all the destruction and chaos. His family reunion serves as his main motivation at this point in the narrative, whereas before, his family was a hindrance to his goal of having fun with his best friend.

“Even with the rain and bits of glass spitting into my face, driving came as natural to me that night as breathing.”

This passage serves to align Dan further as an adult figure in narrative. He rescued Mrs. Smiley and now takes the reigns as his police escort is unable to drive. Dan’s empowerment and freedom behind the steering wheel serves as a metaphor to illustrate that he is now ready to take the driver’s seat in his own life as well.

“If anyone was being punished with a tornado, I was. I was the one who had resented a helpless baby, my own flesh and blood. I wondered how I could have felt that way about him.”

Dan’s metamorphosis is complete as he realizes the thoughts he had about his little brother were self-centered. He now understands that his family is the most important thing in his life, and that the small inconveniences he experienced with Ryan did not hold as much weight as he thought they did. He is now fully ready to accept his responsibilities as an older brother, and the shame he feels serves to motivate him further to holding his family closer than before.

“I held her hand tight, marveling that it was exactly the same size as mine, and squeezed my eyes shut against the terrifying dark.”

Stacey serves as a constant source of support and comfort for Dan, and his description of their time in the jail continue to show his coming of age. Stacey, Arthur’s older sister is older than Dan, and knows that he has a crush on her. Dan is unafraid of revealing his fear to her in the darkness of the jail, demonstrating his emotional maturity. His maturity is also highlighted physically as they hold hands and he notes that their hands are the same size.

“I waved at her and ran, tears streaming down my face. I don’t know why I was crying, but I was. Crying as hard as I ever had, crying, and running.”

As Mrs. Minetti drops Dan off by the Kmart, he immediately starts crying, overwhelmed with emotion and the need to be reunited with his family. This emotional rush reveals how desperate he is to join his family. While Dan matures significantly throughout the novel, he still fears the isolation that comes from the displacement he experiences throughout the disaster.

“The pickup truck was still rolling when Dad leaped out of the driver’s seat and lifted me off my feet. Mom was out next, her arms around us both with Ryan squished in the middle.”

After Dan is turned away from the Kmart due to flooding, he starts running towards his house. He doesn’t know where else to go and he just wants to find his family. As he’s on his way, he hears a truck behind him. It doesn’t take him long to realize it’s his dad’s truck. His dad doesn’t even bring the truck to a complete stop before he gets out to hug Dan, highlighting the urgency of the reunion and the strong reactions Dan and his family have to seeing one another again. Everyone emotionally embraces, happy to be reunited and safe.

“Mrs. Smiley’s ‘open house,’ which was really open to the sky, became a neighborhood gathering place.”

The whole community comes together to rebuild in the wake of the storm. Even strangers come in with food and supplies. Mrs. Smiley finds dozens of jars of canned food in her basement that she puts out on tables for the neighborhood to enjoy. Everyone comes to gather and eat some of the food. It further bonds people after they’ve survived a horrific natural disaster.