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Symbols
At the beginning of Frindle, and especially in the first few weeks following Nick's invention of the word “frindle” (meaning “pen”), Mrs. Granger is careful to characterize the dictionary as a symbol of rules, regulations, and power. Though she admits it is changeable, she makes it clear to her students that the dictionary represents centuries of work to craft a language and the rules that guide its use—language is not something that can change overnight. However, when Nick receives Mrs. Granger's letter ten years later and learns that "frindle" made it into the dictionary, he learns that there's actually more to Mrs. Granger's characterization than she let on in fifth grade. She admits that though the dictionary does indeed signify power, history, and rules, it also acts as a symbol for societal, linguistic, and social change as new words are added to describe a constantly changing world.
The Dictionary Quotes in Frindle
The Frindle quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Dictionary. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2
Quotes
But her pride and joy was one of those huge dictionaries with every word in the universe in it, the kind of book it takes two kids to carry. It sat on its own little table at the front of her classroom, sort of like the altar at the front of a church.
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Chapter 5
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"But if all of us in this room decided to call that creature something else, and if everyone else did, too, then that's what it would be called, and one day it would be written in the dictionary that way. We decide what goes in that book." And she pointed at the giant dictionary.
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Chapter 12
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"I have always said that the dictionary is the finest tool ever made for educating young minds, and I still say that. Children need to understand that there are rules about words and language, and that those rules have a history that makes sense. And to pretend that a perfectly good English word can be replaced by a silly made-up word just for the fun of it, well, it's not something I was ready to stand by and watch without a fight."
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Chapter
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So many things have gone out of date. But after all these years, words are still important. Words are still needed by everyone. Words are used to think with, to write with, to dream with, to hope and pray with. And that is why I love the dictionary. It endures. It works. And as you now know, it also changes and grows.
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Get the entire Frindle LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Dictionary Symbol Timeline in Frindle
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Dictionary appears in Frindle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Mrs. Granger
...makes Mrs. Granger terrifying, she's known best for her homework and her love of the dictionary. She's known for assigning weekly vocabulary lists that include 35 words, as well as a...
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...It reads that every student is expected to have access to one of her preferred dictionaries at home, so that they can expand their vocabularies and properly complete their homework. Nick's...
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Chapter 3: The Question
Nick raises his hand and asks Mrs. Granger where all the words in the dictionaries come from. His classmates smile; they know what he's doing. Mrs. Granger seems to know...
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Chapter 4: Word Detective
Nick begins by looking up the vocabulary words in the dictionary, which takes him an hour. He can hear a baseball game outside, but he knows...
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...heads downstairs to the family room, finds the set of children's encyclopedias, and looks up "dictionary." He reads the entry in the adult encyclopedia as well, though he only understands about...
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Chapter 5: The Report
...immediately and takes a seat on a stool, while Nick stands next to the giant dictionary. Nick begins his presentation, but Mrs. Granger interrupts him to ask for a title. He...
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Nick talks about Samuel Johnson, who created the first modern English dictionary in the 1700s. Kids are in awe when Nick says that his dictionary had more...
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Nick pulls his homework dictionary out of his bag and explains that there's a lot of information in the front...
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...a different word for something, that new word would one day end up in the dictionary.
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With a smile, Mrs. Granger says that despite the fact that language can change, the dictionary is the law and words only get in for good reasons. She looks at the...
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Chapter 9: Chess
...Mrs. Chatham's reasoning, but Nick speaks up and notes that even "ain't" is in the dictionary; if a word is in the dictionary, he says, he should be able to use...
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Chapter 12: Airwaves
On Wednesday afternoon, Alice interviews Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Granger insists that the dictionary is a fine tool for educating youngsters and says that kids need to learn that...
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Chapter 15: And the Winner Is...
...is an edition of Webster's College Dictionary, a handwritten note on the front of the dictionary, and the envelope that she asked him to sign and date in September of his...
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...congratulating him, as if he's reading the letter, it means that "frindle" is in the dictionary. She admits that she was angry at first but realizes now that Nick would've made...
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