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Chapter 9. One Year Before the Before
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Monday’s Not Coming, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Child Abuse
Family, Community, and Responsibility
Growing Up, Independence, and Friendship
Secrecy and Shame
Poverty, Social Support, and Desperation
Memory, Repression, and Trauma
Summary
Analysis
Claudia’s stomach clenches as she stares at the essay prompt asking why she wants to attend Banneker. The only answer Claudia has is that Monday wants to go. Claudia’s guidance counselor, Mr. Hill, calls for her attention. He reminds her that Banneker is tough and requires recommendation letters, a high GPA, and an interview. Claudia doesn’t know why Monday wanted to go, but she’s sure Monday had been prepping. Mr. Hill asks how Claudia’s doing, since her grades are slipping. With Monday gone, it’s too hard to finish papers and read books. But she tells Mr. Hill that everyone is struggling with the difficult coursework.
Claudia reveals here just how much she relied on Monday to help her complete her schoolwork. Without Monday around, it’s too hard to finish anything school related. Importantly, though, Claudia doesn’t want adults to find out she struggles with reading because she’s ashamed. This is why she insists to Mr. Hill that she’s not the only one struggling. And while it may be true that other kids are struggling, it seems unlikely that they’re all struggling with unidentified learning difficulties.
Themes
Mr. Hill notes that the Learning Center is offering peer tutors after school, but Claudia leaps up at the mention of the Learning Center. She promises to do better, and then asks if Mr. Hill knows why Monday isn’t in school. Mr. Hill thinks she moved. When Claudia mentions that Monday’s phone is disconnected, Mr. Hill promises to dig up his second number for Monday’s house and call. He offers again to put Claudia in touch with the Learning Center, but Claudia quickly departs.
Mr. Hill makes the case that there’s help for kids struggling with school if they want it—but they have to consent to the help. Because of Claudia’s shame, she has no intention of going along with this suggestion to seek tutoring. Turning the conversation to Monday is a way for Claudia to keep bugging school officials and try to make them care that Monday is missing, but it’s also a convenient way to distract Mr. Hill from the matter at hand.
Themes
In the lunch line, Claudia tells herself everything will be okay. She feels like her bubble is caving in on her, and she’ll suffocate if Monday doesn’t return. From behind, Claudia hears kids gossiping about Mrs. Charles sending Monday away because she and Claudia are lesbians. One kid says that Monday’s a “ho,” just like her sister. The conversation turns to the city closing Ed Borough. Kids say that the city is going to let residents move back once they build new houses, but another said that won’t happen.
Again, this passage makes it clear that Claudia’s school environment is ruthless. Kids are willing to bully their classmates for any perceived difference—and because Claudia is now on her own, the bullying hurts more. But when the kids discuss Ed Borough closing, it shows readers how precarious these kids’ living situations might be. It’s unclear where the families who are forced to move out are going to go.
Themes
After school, Claudia heads for the library. She thinks that “the library held millions of stories in a glass house.” Claudia’s bubble feels that way—like her secrets will leak out if someone punctures it. She greets Ms. Paul, who asks where Monday is. Claudia lies that Monday is just busy. Ms. Paul says she thought she moved, since she usually sees Monday all summer at camp. This shocks Claudia; Monday always insisted she hung out at home over the summer. Ms. Paul continues that she only asks because Monday has an overdue book. This is unusual for Monday. The book is Flowers in the Attic. Claudia promises to tell Monday and runs to the media room. Monday checked that book out a week before Claudia left for Georgia, and she checked it out often. Why would Monday still have it?
Equating herself with a glass library shows how precarious Claudia thinks her situation is as she tries to keep her difficulties reading a secret. In addition, she’s also trying not to seem too desperate to find Monday. Lying to Ms. Paul about Monday’s whereabouts, though, indicates that Claudia doesn’t want to accept that Monday is missing and might be in trouble. As a librarian, Ms. Paul might be able to help track Monday down—but only if she knew Monday might need help. In this way, Claudia unwittingly walls herself off from someone who could possibly help her.
Themes
Get the entire Monday’s Not Coming LitChart as a printable PDF.
Monday and Claudia have been trick-or-treating together in matching costumes since third grade. The plan was to go as sexy cops this year. Now, a week before Halloween, Claudia sits at the kitchen table laboring over a history project. She and Monday used to do projects together; Monday put together the content, while Claudia made the projects look good. Claudia thinks of her daily check-ins with Mr. Hill to see if he called Monday’s house yet. It feels like he’s never going to call.
With Monday gone, Claudia has to adjust a new normal where she has to do everything by and for herself. And in the case of the history project, Claudia also has to things by herself that she’s never had to do before, like come up with the content. This kind of independence is very uncomfortable for her, in part because it also forces her to feel Monday’s loss.
Themes
Ma sighs that things have been so busy that she totally forgot about Halloween—she only knows it’s Halloween because of a party she’s catering. Claudia sighs and focuses on her project. She pulls phrases out of the textbook, even though she knows it’s cheating. Her written words don’t “look right,” either. Ma chatters on and asks if Claudia is too big for a Halloween costume. Claudia feels like her bubble is boiling. When Mama finally asks what’s wrong and reminds Claudia that she and Monday used to love Halloween, Claudia loses it. She sobs that she’s not excited because Monday’s gone and she doesn’t have anyone else to go trick-or-treating with.
The way that Claudia describes how she’s putting together her project clarifies some of the issues she has with reading and writing. The note that her words don’t “look right” suggests she knows what correct writing looks like, but she can’t mimic it. Ma’s cheer seems somewhat forced and as though she doesn’t totally realize how much Claudia is struggling. Some of this may be because Claudia is very carefully avoiding making it a big deal as to not arouse suspicion.
Themes
Soothingly, Ma rubs Claudia’s back and says that Claudia does have friends. She ignores Claudia saying she doesn’t and dishes up ice cream. Ma suggests that after church, they could go by Monday’s house to chat with Mrs. Charles. She says they can go if Claudia joins the teen ministry. Claudia initially refuses—it’ll just make her more of a target at school—but when Ma says that this is the deal, Claudia agrees.
Ma’s insistence that Claudia has friends highlights how little she knows about her daughter. The passages of the novel that take place at school make it clear that Claudia is right: Monday was her only friend. In her absence, she’s totally alone.
Themes
