Maniac Magee

by

Jerry Spinelli

Maniac Magee: Chapter 33 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Maniac grieves. He drifts around, eating only enough to stay alive. He collects a few belongings from the band shell—mainly books and Grayson’s baseball glove. Before leaving the band shell, he paints over the 101 on the door.
Without Grayson, Maniac’s new home is no longer a home. And without family or home, Maniac loses his sense of purpose.
Themes
Love, Loss, and Home Theme Icon
Quotes
After leaving the band shell, Maniac wanders, usually jogging, sometimes sprinting, through Two Mills and all the surrounding towns. Each time he crosses the Schuylkill River, he averts his eyes from the P & W trolley trestle. He can’t stop from imagining the trolley plunging into the river, carrying his parents to their deaths. After a while, he avoids the bridge altogether.
Grayson’s death brings the memory of Maniac’s parents’ deaths more vividly to the forefront of his mind. He wanders again, fearful of facing deeper grief and loss and so not wanting to stop in any one spot.
Themes
Love, Loss, and Home Theme Icon
Maniac spends his nights in the buffalo pen, or sometimes in an abandoned car or vacant building. He does odd jobs but refuses to beg for food. One day, he wanders into Valley Forge—the site where Washington’s army had nearly starved and frozen to death one winter. Maniac lodges in one of the small replica cabins. He stays there the next day, too, and the next night. Dreams and memories get mixed up. He's waiting for death.
When Maniac stops running, he surrenders to the idea of death. Grief has overwhelmed him, and he is no longer willing to fight for a sense of home and identity that repeatedly eludes him and leaves him grieving.
Themes
Love, Loss, and Home Theme Icon
Quotes