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Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hoot, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Conservation and the Natural World
Bullying and Corruption
Morality, the Law, and Protest
Parenting and Support
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Kids look at Roy, surprised he’s still alive, all day Friday. Near the end of the day, Garrett drags Roy into a bathroom and says that Roy should go home sick. Dana will be waiting after seventh period and plans to beat Roy up before Roy gets on the bus. Roy knows if he goes home early today, Dana will just snatch Roy on Monday. Deciding he has no other option, Roy knows he has to stand and fight—even though he’s pretty sure Mr. Eberhardt would characterize this choice as “stupidity.” He also worries about Mrs. Eberhardt, who will be devastated if something happens to Roy. Roy isn’t supposed to know, but he almost had a little sister; his mom had a miscarriage halfway through her pregnancy. Since learning that, Roy has done his best to not make his parents worry.
Aside from Beatrice, Roy is totally on his own to fight Dana. Garrett tries to be helpful by warning Roy, but Roy recognizes that heeding Garrett’s warning isn’t going to help him in the long run. Without friends his own age, Roy again turns to his parents and highlights how much he loves and cares about them. His concern is less for his own safety and more about the fact that his mom is going to be really upset. Still, Roy doesn’t seem to fear that his parents are going to be upset with him, which gives him the confidence to vow to face Dana.
Themes
Roy’s last class is American history. He lets the other students leave and then peeks into the hall: no sign of Dana. The teacher, Mr. Ryan, appears behind Roy and they walk together to the staff lounge. Mr. Ryan quizzes Roy briefly on the War of 1812—there’s a test on Monday—and then Roy is on his own. With four minutes to get to the bus, Roy decides to take a shortcut through the gym. He almost makes it.
Roy figures that if he can get to the bus without incident, he’ll be okay. Interestingly, though Roy uses Mr. Ryan as a shield of sorts, he’s unwilling to ask Mr. Ryan to escort him to the bus. This shows again that Roy doesn’t trust any adults at school to stand up to Dana—they are, in Roy’s mind, unreliable like Miss Hennepin is.
Themes
Curly has had another terrible day and is on the phone again with Chuck Muckle. After assuring Muckle that he didn’t file a police report (so there’s nothing to leak to the press), Curly told him the whole story. He got to the construction site this morning to find Kalo chasing the attack dogs and shrieking in German. Officer Delinko had pulled up, but Curly waved him away. Kalo accused Curly of trying to kill the dogs with venomous snakes and pointed out nine cottonmouth water moccasins, all with glittery tails. Fuming, Kalo tripped in an owl burrow. He promised to send his bills to Mother Paula’s—and if they won’t pay for his now-busted ankle, he’ll consult a lawyer. Curly then waited for the reptile wrangler to arrive, but the man couldn’t find any snakes. Now, Muckle tells Curly to break ground on Monday, no matter what.
Readers may deduce that the Mother Paula’s vandal is none other than Mullet Fingers, since Roy noted earlier that the boy’s cottonmouth moccasins had painted, glittery tails. However, the reason Mullet Fingers is targeting the Mother Paula’s construction site isn’t entirely clear yet. The fiasco with the attack dogs is humorous, but when Kalo threatens legal action if Mother Paula’s doesn’t pay for the dogs and his medical bills, it again reminds readers of how powerful money is. Curly, though, is caught in the middle, since he’s trying to please both Kalo and Muckle—who doesn’t seem like the sort to be sympathetic to the frightened dogs, or to Kalo’s ankle injury.
Themes
Dana has pulled Roy into the pitch-black janitor’s closet. Roy evades Dana’s sweaty grip and hides on the floor while Dana punches cleaning supplies above him. When Roy finds the doorknob, he tries to run out—but Dana pulls Roy back in and grips him in a fierce bear hug from behind. Roy can’t breathe. He begins to thrash his legs and suddenly, Dana lets him go. But Roy is too weak and breathless to run, so Dana begins to choke Roy. Suddenly, the door swings open and someone hoists Dana up and away. After a minute, Roy gets up himself, checks the hallway, and races for an exit. He almost makes it.
Pulling Roy into a closet increases Dana’s power; the likelihood that someone is going to notice what’s going on and come to Roy’s aid is now much lower than if they were out in the open. Still, someone appears to help Roy, which suggests that Roy is no longer quite as alone at school as he thought he was. Not revealing who saves Roy, or who intercepts him before he reaches the exit, creates tension: Roy’s harrowing afterschool experience is in no way over yet.
Themes
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