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Chapter 10
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Frindle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Language
Power, Hierarchy, and Rules
Responsibility and Fame
Leadership and Teamwork
Summary
Analysis
That Thursday, the "frindle" story makes the front page of The Westfield Gazette. Everything that Judy has written is true, and the way she writes about the conflict fires up the entire town. She writes that Nick is raising issues of free speech and academic rules, while Mrs. Granger is the champion of order and authority. The class photo accompanies the article, with a caption identifying both Nick and Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Allen is angry, as she believes Nick spoke to Judy without permission; the school superintendent is upset with Mrs. Chatham for putting the school's tax funding at risk; and Mrs. Chatham is upset with Mrs. Granger, as she believes her interview will get everyone fired. Nobody knows how Judy got the class photo.
Again, the choices that Judy makes to describe the conflict make it clear that this is an example of constitutionally-protected protest in action, not just a silly thing that kids are doing. She also continues to align Mrs. Granger with the dictionary and how Mrs. Granger conceptualizes the dictionary as the law of language. Further, despite the novel's insistence that America's free press is a good thing in terms of advancing change, the negative reactions show that change doesn't come without growing pains.
Themes
