Willodeen

The meeting is an example of how fear, anger, and desperation lead to strife. The village is in turmoil due to the hummingbears disappearing and, by extension, the recent drop in income from the fair. This loss of revenue has material consequences—Applegate shows that the effects are felt widely by mentioning Willodeen’s birthday cake was a splurge for Mae and Birdie. As a result, people are not open to discussion and instead want to place blame and wait for a mystical answer to materialize. Neither blaming nor waiting will result in the outcome they hope for, but the heightened fear and desperation keep them from seeing the truth. They also don’t see how the bounty on the screechers might be related to the trouble, even after Willodeen points it out as a possible contributing factor. This is due to fear and anger, but it also shows how adults dismiss children, even when their ideas are good ones. The inaction in this meeting also reflects the ways climate change is often addressed in our societies; although Change is Inevitable due to harmful choices made regarding the environment, many refuse to accept the coming changes and adapt their behavior in the hopes of a miracle solution.

While magic won’t fix the villagers’ problems, it reappears at the end of Chapter 19 when Quinby comes to life, jumpstarting the rest of the book. The meeting left Willodeen angry and helpless, and Quinby’s arrival is what Willodeen needs next, even if she isn’t aware of it. Quinby gives Willodeen something to care about and forces her not to focus on all the things that have and continue to go wrong. The parent role Willodeen takes on allows her to see how Mae and Birdie feel. Willodeen wants to do the best she can for Quinby, even though she doesn’t know what that means or how to do it. The relationship between Willodeen and Quinby explores the intricacies of parenthood, parent-child relationships, and how a parent becomes a new person once their children grow up and start their own lives.