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Chapter 31. 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
Nothing adds up about Monday’s whereabouts, so Claudia decides to find out why. She hides in the tent in her bedroom and dials the number Ms. Moser gave her. Ms. Orman’s daughter, Giselle, answers. Giselle is angry that Claudia has this number and reminds Claudia that Ms. Orman has Alzheimer’s. Claudia says she’s trying to track down Monday. After arguing, Giselle puts her mother on the phone.
Hiding in the tent in her bedroom helps Claudia feel secure and closer to Monday, since the girls used to spend so much time in the tent together. The fact that Ms. Moser gave Claudia Ms. Orman’s phone number shows again that the school offices communicate poorly with each other when it comes to kids in trouble.
Themes
Ms. Orman doesn’t seem to recognize Claudia, but she seems very concerned when Claudia says she’s looking for Monday. Claudia says she figured Ms. Orman might know, since she helped Monday so much when Monday was sick. Ms. Orman says that Monday was never sick. She says “It was all smoke and mirrors. I had to get her out.” But Ms. Orman seems to forget her train of thought and becomes very upset. Giselle takes the phone back, tells Claudia not to call again, and asks to speak to Claudia’s parents. Claudia hangs up—and immediately, the phone rings again. It must be Giselle calling to talk to Ma. Claudia figures that no matter how much trouble she’s in for making this phone call, hearing that Monday was never sick might convince Ma to help her.
Ms. Orman’s comments about Monday are cryptic, but she nevertheless suggests that there’s more to the story than Claudia knew. Confirming that Monday was never sick and saying that she had to “get [Monday] out” suggests that Ms. Orman was aware of bigger issues concerning Monday’s home life and her family. It also shows that the school nurse, at least, was aware that something was off with Monday and took active steps to help her. However, the novel positions Ms. Orman as a somewhat unreliable informant, given her advanced Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Themes
Claudia hears Ma pick up the phone elsewhere in the house and wonders how to defend herself. But Ma shouts that it’s Michael calling for Claudia. Claudia answers the phone and Michael invites her to come with him to a basketball game—he already got Ma’s permission to take her. Claudia giggles and accepts.
Claudia finds herself caught between the past (her search for Monday) and the future (her date with Michael). She’s growing up and maturing—whether or not Monday is still around to grow up with her.
Themes
