Toliver's Secret

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1976

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-10

Chapters 11-13

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Snuffbox in the Bread

The snuffbox baked into the bread loaf that Ellen carries is a symbol of resistance. More specifically, it signifies Ellen’s developing strength and self-confidence and how average people can play important roles in historical moments.

When Grandfather instructs Mother on how to bake the bread, he says: “Bake it crisp and brown, Abby, with a good strong crust. It has a long way to travel” (4). The strength of the bread helps it safely contain the secret it carries. Throughout the novel, the bread is stolen by several people, bitten by a pig, and dropped in a river, yet the strength of its crust keeps the secret within the snuffbox safe. After Ellen gets it out of the river, she notes that the bread is “soggy, but the good strong crust had held its shape” (119). The bread’s strong exterior keeps it safe.

Though Ellen feels vulnerable and afraid inside, she too must develop a strong exterior to carry out her mission successfully. Higgins gives her advice on how to deal with fear. He says, “Being afraid is nothing to be ashamed of. […] But when something has to be done […], don’t wonder and wonder about being afraid. If it’s important to you—do the best you can” (89). Higgins gives Ellen practical advice on how to manage her fear and tackle challenges that are important to her with bravery. Like the bread whose strong crust guards its secret, Ellen develops bravery that gives her strength.

The bread is a suitable vehicle for the snuffbox because “[n]o one would notice a small boy with a loaf of bread” (40). The bread is ordinary and can go unnoticed, though it carries a secret of immense importance to General Washington’s army inside. Grandpa explains that “bread won’t attract attention, and it can be passed from one messenger to another until it gets to head-quarters” (43). Just like the bread is an ordinary object that contains a big secret, its messengers, including Ellen, are ordinary citizens. Because they are average people, they are not suspected as spies by the British Army and can pass through British-controlled New York and New Jersey with relative ease. Though the bread and the citizens who carry it appear ordinary, they play important roles in historical events.

Ezra’s Clothes

Ezra’s clothes are a motif associated with the theme of Traditional 18th-Century Gender Roles. They also relate to the theme of Finding Self-Confidence in Adverse Circumstances, since presenting as a boy is what initially allows Ellen the confidence to carry Grandfather’s message.

Ezra’s clothes help explain expected gender roles in the 18th century. When Ellen puts on breeches, she feels “free of skirts and petticoats” and begins enjoying “stomp[ing] along the cobblestones […] dodg[ing] the oxcarts and the wheelbarrows and run[ning] against the wind with no cloak to hold her back” (55-56). In the guise of a young boy, Ellen feels a newfound freedom and confidence to move across town. Several times throughout her journey, such as when she’s pulled into the boat by Dow and when she mounts the horse behind Murdock, she thinks about how she is “glad she didn’t have skirts and petticoats to get in the way” (115). Wearing clothes associated with boys allows Ellen to complete the tasks she wants to complete and is fully capable of, regardless of her gender.

However, Ellen also knows that other people would not consider her capable of performing her assigned task, so it’s important to maintain the security Ezra’s clothes give her. When Mrs. Murdock orders Ellen to take off her breeches, Ellen panics that her identity might be discovered. She asks herself, “How could she explain why she was dressed as a boy? Only spies and criminals went around pretending to be someone else” (129). Outside of her trusted circle of adults, which includes Grandfather, Mother, and Mr. and Mrs. Shannon, Ellen knows that showing people her identity is a risk that might jeopardize Grandfather’s life and Washington’s war. Though Ezra’s clothes provide her an avenue to develop her confidence, they also protect Ellen on her mission.

Songs

Songs are a motif that relates to the theme of Finding Self-Confidence in Adverse Circumstances. Both the British and Patriots sing songs to rally their spirits and raise their morale, as does Ellen when she is alone and needs to summon her bravery.

When Ellen is aboard the boat with Higgins and Dow, Higgins leads the British army in a song to distract them from teasing Ellen. The songs they sing are “Hearts of Oak,” “Old King Cole,” and “The British Grenadiers.” “Heart of Oak” is the official song of the Royal Navy and was written in 1759 and references British victories during the Seven Years’ War. “Old King Cole” is an early modern British nursery rhyme from the early 1700s; it patriotically celebrates a pseudo-fictitious British king from the past. “The British Grenadiers” is a military marching song from the early 1600s, and it favorably compares British Grenadiers to famous historical and mythological warriors like Alexander the Great, Hercules, Hector, and Lysander. All three songs focus on Britain’s strength in arms, and two call back to Britain’s history, likely to rally nationalism in the soldiers. Higgins tells Ellen he’s “homesick” and misses his family; such songs are likely meant to keep their spirits up and convince them that their cause is worth these sacrifices.

By contrast, Ellen, her family, and other Patriots sing rebel songs to give them the courage to hold out against an army like the British, which has stood the test of time and won many victories. When Ellen is alone in the woods on her way to Elizabeth, she sings “a song her father used to sing when he’d come home after drilling with the village militia” (109). It is called “The Liberty Tree” by Thomas Paine, an American revolutionary famous for writing Common Sense, The Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. Singing the song allows Ellen to “kee[p] time” as she marches toward Elizabeth, and it reminds her of the Patriots’ cause as she faces intimidating circumstances.

Ellen sings patriotic songs with Grimsby and Gallop after she successfully delivers her message to Mr. Shannon. They sing “On the Banks of the Dee,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “The Revolutionary Tea.” Ellen finds it “exciting to sing Yankee songs as they sailed past the British ships anchored near the shores of Staten Island” (160). The songs celebrate the confidence she’s found along the way, and singing them is another small act of rebellion.