52 pages • 1 hour read
Kate DiCamilloRaymie Nightingale
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2016A 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 44-47Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapters 44-47 Summary
Beverly pushes the cart loaded with Louisiana and Bunny up the hill. The girls chat about Beverly’s mother and her work at Belknap Tower, the lights of which they can see high above the town. As they reach the top of the hill and look down the other side, Raymie is reminded of her father, and her mood saddens. They can see the Memorial Hospital beside Swip Pond, where Mrs. Sylvester feeds the swans. Thinking of Mrs. Sylvester makes Raymie’s loneliness return.
At the top of the hill, Louisiana stands up in the cart and urges Raymie and Beverly to push her faster. Raymie and Beverly give one big push, but the cart gets away from them. Louisiana clings to Bunny, who howls as the cart speeds out of control down the hill towards the pond. Louisiana’s resigned voice eerily floats back to Raymie and Beverly, who are desperately trying to catch up with the cart: “But I can’t swim” (237). As Raymie and Beverly frantically chase the cart, Raymie hears Mrs. Borkowski’s voice saying “run, run, run” (237). She sees Bunny’s ears flying and Louisiana’s barrettes shining as the cart takes off and plunges into the pond. Beverly stops by the edge of the pond. Raymie hears Mrs. Borkowski’s voice: “You. Now. This you can do” (239). Raymie keeps running and dives into the water. She pulls Louisiana up and out from the depths of the dark pond, calmly putting all the training from Mr. Staphopoulos and Edgar the drowning dummy into action. In that moment Raymie feels like Raymie Nightingale. Bunny swims to the bank.
Louisiana is not breathing, Beverly is crying, and Bunny is moaning. Without hesitation, Raymie follows her lifesaving training. She turns Louisiana over and beats her on the back to get the water out of her lungs. Louisiana breaths and speaks. Raymie swells with pride for herself and with love for her friends and Mr. Staphopoulos. Raymie and Beverly carry Louisiana up the hill to the hospital.
Chapters 44-47 Analysis
The buildup to the dramatic incident of Louisiana and Bunny careening down the hill and into the lake is gentle. The three girls chat and look around at their town as they climb the hill. Even the moment they lose control and the cart starts to roll down the hill is met with a matter-of-fact reaction from Louisiana. The narrative picks up pace as Raymie and Beverly try to catch the cart, with Bunny howling and Louisiana exclaiming that she cannot swim. Raymie’s reaction to this terrifying situation is entirely new. She feels pure determination and focus: “It was more like her soul was her whole body. She was nothing but soul” (237). Raymie hears Mrs. Borkowski’s voice, the voice of someone who Raymie believed had all the answers, encouraging her, “You. Now. This you can do” (237). For the first time, Raymie takes the lead, and without a trace of hesitation, she allows a powerful, newfound belief in herself to guide her through the rescue. The possibility of losing Louisiana was terrifying enough to push Raymie though her characteristic barriers of anxiety and self-doubt, exposing a capable and confident Raymie Nightingale.
Conversely, this incident exposes a fragile and vulnerable side of Beverly, who breaks down while watching Raymie resuscitate Louisiana. When Louisiana regains consciousness, Raymie feels nothing but love, both for her friends and for Mr. Staphopoulos. Raymie’s soul is “huge inside of her” (245). Importantly, this is the last time Raymie’s soul is mentioned. Raymie’s earlier emotional turmoil, fueled by anxiety and self-doubt, has been crushed by the power of her new friendships and their shared experiences, cumulating in Raymie discovering her own strength. Raymie no longer needs to refer to her soul to gauge how she feels; she feels complete.
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By Kate DiCamillo
