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Chapter 37
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Fish in a Tree, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dyslexia, Intelligence, and Learning
Teaching, Mentoring, and Trust
Identity and Self-Esteem
Bullying, Friendship, and Social Status
Summary
Analysis
Mr. Daniels asks the students if they have nominations for class president. Jessica nominates Shay and no one else is willing to run, given that Shay has made it clear that any opponents will regret trying. Shay raises her hand and nominates Ally. Mr. Daniels tells Ally that she can say no, but he thinks she could run. She agrees to run and learns that she'll need to write a speech for the next day. Mr. Daniels can't help her after school but suggests that she ask Mom. Ally knows that Mom would help but is afraid that it would get Mom's hopes up too high.
Again, Mr. Daniels's willingness to let Shay nominate Ally (which looks like a poorly disguised attempt to make Ally feel inferior) suggests that Mr. Daniels is aware that change is almost upon his class. Ally's trust in him implies (hopefully) that he wouldn't knowingly let Shay hurt her, which in turn offers some hope that Ally may actually win.
Themes
Ally sits at her dining room table, desperately wanting to ask Mom for help. She sees a mind movie of winning the election, so she tries her best to write a speech. She writes two paragraphs in an hour and a half and hopes for a fever in the morning.
Remember that Ally still has trouble reading, which means that she'll likely struggle to read what she's written. This suggests that Ally doesn't yet have the confidence to do what's best for her in these situations.
Themes
