38 pages • 1 hour read
Barbara RobinsonThe Best Halloween Ever
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1981A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Candy
Candy is both an important motif and symbol in the novel, and also emerges as a key plot point. As a motif, it illustrates the important themes of The Enduring Appeal of Halloween and Finding Joy in the Unexpected. Early on, Beth declares that the whole point of Halloween for children is to eat so much candy that they get sick. When the grown-ups cancel trick-or-treating and candy starts disappearing from supermarket shelves, the children are devastated. Beth notes that even though the Herdmans take away the children’s candy every year, at least the children had the thrill of obtaining the candy in the first place. This year that thrill appears to be eradicated. The unexpected reveal of the mountain of candy in the boiler room shows that the spirit of childhood and Halloween can never be suppressed.
The different attitudes of grown-ups and children toward candy show how intrinsically linked sweets are with innocence and indulgence. For Beth’s mother, too much candy represents excess and health concerns, but for Beth and Charlie it represents pure joy—a joy that is only loosely related to consumption. The joy that candy symbolizes is revealed in the scene where Beth discovers the boiler room: She enthusiastically lists all the variants of candy stacked in the space. The effect created is that candy transforms the space into a magical wonderland for the children. Even the fact that much of the candy is expired and inedible cannot dull its visual appeal. Candy, therefore, also symbolizes magic and adventure in the text.
The Kindergarten Slide
Illustrating the theme of Finding Joy in the Unexpected, the kindergarten slide symbolizes wonder and childhood. The discovery of the hole in the floor of the teachers’ room—and the slide leading from there to the boiler room—constitutes a moment of genuine joy in the narrative and encapsulates the spirit of play and discovery. In a very literal sense, the slide enables Beth and her friends to travel from the mysterious and threatening adult world of the teachers’ lounge into the unexpected joy of the boiler room. The children experience the pull of gravity in a safe, controlled way that nonetheless does not have the same association with regimentation as the main school-sponsored event. The discovery of a room filled with every variant of candy imaginable at the end of the slide adds to the appeal of the slide as a symbol of play, creativity, and adventure.
The Lion Costume
The lion costume created by Charlie, his friend Cecil, and Beth functions as an important symbol of the spirit of collaboration and ingenuity in the novel. The costume is also linked with the theme of The Enduring Appeal of Halloween as a time for adventure and creativity. At the beginning of the novel, a disappointed Charlie wants to go to the school on Halloween as one of many “Happy Hobos”—a costume notable for the lack of effort it requires. However, midway through the plot, Charlie and Cecil decide to go as a lion. Charlie notes that he and Cecil had always “wanted to be a two-person thing” (55). With trick-or-treating canceled, he and Cecil finally have their chance. Charlie’s change of heart shows his adaptability and creativity, as well as the irrepressible joy of Halloween. Grown-ups may try to control Halloween, but children will put their own stamp on the festival.
The construction of the costume itself symbolizes collaborative work and the creative spirit. The body of the costume is made from old sofa slipcovers from Mrs. Bradley’s attic, while its mane is Cecil’s mom’s mop. Beth cuts eyeholes in the covers for Cecil, making sure there are eyeholes in every direction for him to be able to see. When Charlie and Cecil walk in the costume, they frequently bump into each other, but soon learn to maneuver by working together. Not only does the costume add humor and whimsy to the proceedings, but it also showcases the importance of teamwork. The costume also briefly acts as a red herring. When Beth finds the abandoned slipcover and mop head, she worries that something bad has happened to them. However, by following the discarded costume to the teachers’ room, Beth and her friends discover the candy in the boiler room.
