The Wednesday Wars

by Gary Schmidt

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The Wednesday Wars Themes

The main themes in The Wednesday Wars include transformation, the power of literature, and love and friendship.

  • Transformation: The Wednesday Wars is Holling coming-of age-story. In the course of a year, his sister runs away, his father loses a big contract, and Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. These events force Holling to grow up.
  • The power of literature: Holling falls in love with Shakespeare’s works, which inspires him to branch out and perform in a school play.
  • Love and friendship: Holling’s friends, including Meryl Lee and Mrs. Baker, provide the support he needs in this difficult year.

Themes: All Themes

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Themes: Transformation

The Wednesday Wars is primarily a story about Holling Hoodhood coming of age. When the novel opens, he is relatively passive. His own sister even tells him to get some guts when he brings his story about Mrs. Baker to her. Holling has a vivid imagination and longs for adventure, as evidenced by his repeated readings of books like Treasure Island. Otherwise, though, he is mostly a normal kid, one who does not really have extraordinary experiences....

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Themes: The Power of Literature

Holling is a great reader from before the book starts. He loves adventure fiction, such as Treasure Island. However, under Mrs. Baker’s exacting eye, he learns first to make his way through Shakespeare’s plays, then to enjoy them, and finally to realize their potential for adding meaning and understanding to his life. The necessity of having a good and caring teacher is part of this theme, as is discipline. Primarily, though, the ageless...

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Themes: Love and Friendship

The Wednesday Warsopens with Holling in a relative state of war. The war that gives the novel its name is with Mrs. Baker, who he is sure hates him, but that is not the only war. The rest of the seventh-grade class threatens to kill him, and he and his sister squabble. From this state of tension and disarray Holling learns many different ways to love and many different kinds of friendship. He cannot be peers with Mrs. Baker. She is an adult, and...

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Expert Q&A

The theme of February in Gary Schmidt's Wednesday Wars

In Wednesday Wars, the theme of February revolves around love and relationships. This month highlights the development of Holling's relationships with his family, friends, and Mrs. Baker. Valentine's Day serves as a backdrop to explore these connections, emphasizing the importance of understanding, empathy, and personal growth in forming meaningful bonds.

Key Elements and Themes in Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt explores various conflicts and themes, with the Vietnam War serving as a backdrop impacting Mrs. Baker, whose husband is missing in action. Holling Hoodhood faces conflicts at school with bullies like Doug Swieteck's brother and personal struggles with his father, a self-absorbed antagonist. Holling's relationship with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, evolves from conflict to mutual support. Thematic elements include personal growth, family dynamics, and making independent choices, as Holling learns to stand up for himself and value his sister, Heather.

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Themes: Transformation

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