Who is Jamie and why does he accompany Claudia in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
Jamie Kincaid is Claudia's younger brother. She brings him along on her plan to run away and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She brings him along because he shares her sense of adventure. Also, she's broke and he has some money saved (about $25 in late 1960s money), and has good ideas about how to make (and save) money while the two are on the run.
She has a love of luxury, indulged by sleeping in antique beds, riding in a Rolls Royce and basically living in the grandest museum in America. Jamie's frugal, practical nature keeps her grounded, enabling her to stay on her adventure until it has reached its resolution in Mrs. Frankweiler's file room. Jamie's strengths complement Claudia's.
How does Mrs. Frankweiler assist Claudia and Jamie in achieving their desires in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
Near the end of the book, Claudia and Jamie go to visit Mrs. Frankweiler at her mansion, because Claudia believes she can give them information that will help...
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them prove the angel statue in the Metropolitan Museum of Art really is carved by Michelangelo.
An eccentric old woman, Mrs. Frankweiler is taken with the children and their adventure hiding out and living in the Metropolitan. She helps Claudia get what she wants, which is authentication of the angel statue being by Michelangelo, by giving Jamie and her an hour to go through her wall of files to find proof. They can't mix up or disorganize the files in any way, so the children have to work systematically, looking for key words. With only six minutes to go, Claudia is ready to despair; then she thinks to look under the term Bologna, Italy, and finds the answer.
Mrs. Frankweiler is pleased but wants the children to keep the secret. She knows Claudia will, because she wanted the knowledge and now has it. Claudia wanted to find a way to differentiate herself from others through her adventure, and now, with the secret, can has done so. To Jamie, Mrs. Frankweiler promises to leave the statue in her will, as long as he keeps the secret. As he wants the statue, he is glad to keep the secret.