72 pages • 2 hours read
Rodman PhilbrickZane and the Hurricane
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014A 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 1-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “My Stupid Trip to Smellyville”
Twelve-year-old Zane Dupree begins by warning the reader that his story contains a lot of gross stuff and a lot of danger: He almost dies three times during his visit to New Orleans. Zane lives in New Hampshire with his mom and his small, beloved mutt, Bandit, whom he calls Bandy. His father, Gerald, was in the Air Force but died before Zane was born. Zane claims he does not miss his father because he never knew him, but his mother wants Zane to know more about Gerald. After years of searching, she discovers that Zane has a great-grandmother in New Orleans named Beatrice Jackson, known as Miss Trissy, who basically raised Zane’s father. Mom wants Zane to visit Miss Trissy, but Zane refuses, which makes his mom cry. Zane loves his mom and hates to make her upset, so they compromise: Zane agrees to go to New Orleans if Bandit goes with him. Zane is unaware that a tropical storm named Katrina is also headed for New Orleans.
Chapter 2 Summary: “What the Old Lady Said”
Zane is initially “kind of scared” of the elderly Black woman who meets him in the New Orleans airport (6). She is old and tiny, and she carries a cane in each hand like they are weapons. But the old woman smiles and greets Zane effusively, telling Zane in a heavy regional accent that it is a gift from God that she gets to meet him. Bandy likes the old lady immediately and Zane quickly loses his fear of her. Outside the airport, Zane is disgusted by the heat, humidity, and plethora of bad smells that engulf him. He immediately dubs New Orleans, “Smellyville.”
Chapter 3 Summary: “Older than Dirt”
Zane explains that his mom is white, and his dad is Black, making Zane “biracial or multiracial or whatever” (8). Miss Trissy thinks that the word multiracial is inadequate and prefers the term “mixed race.” Miss Trissy’s daddy came from a mix of white and Creole blood, but Miss Trissy says that any African blood “made you colored” (9). Miss Trissy observes that Zane inherited his mother’s straight hair and green eyes, but she also sees Zane’s dad, Gerald, in Zane’s features. While she talks, Miss Trissy hums like she is singing. Miss Trissy still sings in the church choir and takes pride in her youthful voice. Family is important to Miss Trissy: Most of the items in Miss Trissy’s house are connected to family memories. She shows Zane a photograph of Gerald and his brother James. Miss Trissy took care of them both after their mother died. To be polite, Zane asks why his dad ran away and what happened to James. Miss Trissy only says James “got hissef killed” before using her trademark way of changing the subject—offering Zane ice cream (11).
Chapter 4 Summary: “Fly Like Superman”
Although Zane likes Miss Trissy a lot, he is bored. Zane feels like he stepped back in time: everything in Miss Trissy’s house is clean and tidy, but extremely old and outdated. Her old TV only gets one station, there is no internet, and no air conditioning. Zane and Bandy suffer from the extreme heat and mostly stay indoors. Miss Trissy spends her time singing along with gospel songs on the radio and talking to Zane. In the evenings, Zane and Miss Trissy sit out on the “gallery” and she tells him stories about his family. She remembers how Gerald and James used to love playing at being Superman because Superman could fly and be anything—it did not matter to them that Superman was white. Despite Zane’s curiosity, Miss Trissy still will not say how James died. Panicked, Zane’s mom phones, saying that the hurricane that was supposed to miss New Orleans has changed course. She wants Zane and Miss Trissy to go to the airport. She has a plan to get them home.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Rise Up and Go”
Zane knows it is selfish, but he is thrilled to go home early, and does not feel guilty since Miss Trissy will be coming too. Miss Trissy worries that she cannot endure another storm: She witnessed Hurricane Dennis and survived Hurricane Betsy in 1965, which flooded her home. Zane calls her Grammy, like his father did, and reassures her until Zane’s mom informs them that all flights are cancelled. Miss Trissy announces they will go to church and “see what da Lawd provide” (20). Miss Trissy dresses up, and makes Zane wear some of her late husband Henry’s nicer clothes. At the New Mission Zion Baptist church, Miss Trissy joyfully introduces Zane to Pastor Daniels, who notices their family resemblance. Zane swears he will not look stupid and sing, but he joins in, finding it impossible to be silent. He is astounded at the power and beauty of Miss Trissy’s singing voice. Pastor Daniels tells the congregation their Ninth Ward is under a mandatory evacuation order. He offers to let Miss Trissy and Zane ride in the church bus.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Dumb and Dumber”
Zane, Miss Trissy, Bandy and nine others crowd into the tiny church van. Pastor Daniels does not want to take Bandy, but Miss Trissy insists, saying the dog is part of their family. The van is hot and stuffy even with the windows open, and the slow-moving traffic is bumper-to-bumper. Zane feels sorry for himself, wishing he were home, instead of evacuating to Baton Rouge. An SUV pulls up beside the van, and two angry Dobermans dogs bark at Bandy. Scared, the little dog jumps out the window and into traffic. Pastor Daniel cannot pull over or stop the van. Zane clambers out the window, hoping to save Bandy before he is killed. Zane runs between cars, searching for Bandy. It begins to rain, signaling the hurricane’s approach. Zane hears Bandy bark and spies the dog on the side of the road. When Zane tries to pick him up, Bandy runs away, always staying a little ahead of Zane, as if he were leading Zane somewhere safe. Zane follows Bandy in tears, knowing how “dumb” he is being.
Chapters 1-6 Analysis
In these initial chapters, Philbrick quickly builds characterization of both his first-person narrator, Zane Dupree, and Zane’s great-grandmother, Miss Trissy. Through Zane’s unique narrative perspective and his interaction with Miss Trissy, we learn about Zane’s attitude towards family and his own racial identity. Philbrick begins establishing several of the novel’s evolving themes: the importance of family and friendship, racial disparity, and hope.
Zane tells his story from a point in the future. He informs readers that he has already survived the hurricane, but that his story is filled with life-threatening danger. In this way, Zane maintains readers’ suspense, which could otherwise be lost by this narrative strategy. Zane also relates events in the present tense, which adds a sense of immediacy. Hearing Zane’s inner dialogue and knowing his thoughts allow the reader to easily connect with Zane’s feelings and emotions. Zane’s voice is conversational and frequently ungrammatical. He often uses youthful slang and short or incomplete sentences for dramatic effect. Zane’s speech reflects that of Philbrick’s young readers and provides them with another connection to Zane.
Zane addresses the reader directly as if expecting a response. He also asks—and answers—rhetorical questions. When explaining how he would never deliberately make his mother cry, Zane asks, “Are we clear on that?” and continues as if he received an answer saying, “Good” (5). This one-sided dialogue increases readers’ sense of engagement and their connection to Zane. Significantly, Zane also utilizes figurative language in his descriptions, appealing to readers’ sensory perceptions: Miss Trissy’s smile is “like the sun peeking through a cloud” (6), and the gross smells in New Orleans are “like the sky is sweating” (7). Zane’s comparisons are rooted in relatable, everyday experience.
From Zane’s narrative, readers learn several important qualities about Zane’s life and character. Zane’s concept of his family is limited. He has his mom and his dog Bandit, both of whom he loves fiercely, and initially Zane feels those are the only individuals he wants and needs in his life. Zane never knew his dad and does not share his mom’s compulsion to find other members of his family. At first, Zane thinks of Miss Trissy dismissively, as “the old lady” (5). Zane’s attitude changes as he gets to know and value Miss Trissy. His affection for her is evident when he begins to address her as “Grammy” (18).
Miss Trissy, like Zane’s mom, values family: Her home is a shrine to family memories. She is thrilled to have Zane in her life; proudly presenting him to Pastor Daniels and holding his hand as if, Zane feels, he is something precious. Miss Trissy deepens Zane’s knowledge of his Black heritage. She sees his father’s features in Zane’s face, and through photos and stories of the past, begins to connect him to his father’s side of the family, piquing Zane’s curiosity about his dad and his late Uncle James.
Zane is casual about his racial identity. He says he is, “what they sometimes call biracial or multiracial or whatever” (8), commenting that Bandy is “a mutt like me” (1). Miss Trissy corrects Zane, telling him he is, like herself, of “mixed race” (8). Today, the terms “mixed-race” and “multiracial” are considered largely interchangeable, but it is best to ask individuals how they prefer to be identified or allow them to self-identify.
Miss Trissy’s sense of her racial identity is contextual. It has been formed by the times in which she lived when discriminatory rules and laws made racial categories legalized segregation and unjust treatment of people of color. Miss Trissy experienced both post WWII segregation and the Civil Rights movement. She uses the word “colored” to describe anyone with African heritage, even though Zane advises her that word is not used anymore. Once considered “polite” as Miss Trissy notes, the term is now offensive. Their discussion opens Philbrick’s themes of racial identity and racial injustice, which become important in Zane’s journey of self-discovery.
Lastly, Philbrick introduces the novel’s theme of hope. When confronted with danger and uncertainty, Miss Trissy finds comfort and hope in her faith. As the novel continues, each of the main characters will use their own unique ways of staying hopeful.
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