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Chapter 5. October
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
Monday doesn’t show up at school all through September. The last time Monday and Claudia were separated for this long, Monday had a bad case of the flu and gave it to her whole family. Ma wouldn’t let Claudia near Monday, since Monday’s fever was 104. Claudia tries to stay busy coloring, watching football with Daddy, and tailgating. School is lonely, though.
Though Claudia recognizes that there are reasonable explanations for Monday being gone in general—the flu, for instance—that doesn’t seem to explain why Monday is gone without a trace right now. And while Claudia may have known during that month that Monday would be back, she has no promise of Monday returning here.
Themes
One day, Shayla leans over Claudia’s desk and teases that Claudia’s girlfriend isn’t here, so they can’t get busy in the bathroom. Claudia is trying to finish her English packet, and ignoring Shayla is hard. Shayla sweeps the packet onto the floor and stomps on it. When Claudia leaps up, Ms. O’Donnell tells Claudia to focus on her packet and stop talking with her friends. When Claudia squeaks that Shayla started it, someone mutters “Snitch.” Shayla snaps loudly that Claudia doesn’t have any friends. Ms. O’Donnell tells Claudia to finish the packet today. Everyone else is done, but Claudia is only three pages in.
This passage makes it clear that Claudia doesn’t have any support at school without Monday. Her classmates jeopardize her progress, and Ms. O’Donnell doesn’t give Claudia any leeway or assistance. Noting that she’s only on the third page of a packet everyone else has finished is another clue that Claudia has trouble with school, and particularly reading—troubles that it seems Monday was helping her cover up.
Themes
Since Monday isn’t here, Claudia skips lunch and seeks out Ms. Valente, her seventh-grade English teacher and her favorite teacher. Ms. Valente greets Claudia warmly and asks why she isn’t eating with Monday. Claudia explains that Monday hasn’t been at school and she doesn’t know where she is. Concerned, Ms. Valente leads Claudia to the office. On the walk, they talk about Ms. Valente’s wedding and honeymoon with her wife, and Claudia’s summer in Georgia. Ms. Valente shares that she’s teaching fifth grade this year and assures Claudia that Ms. O’Donnell will prepare her well for high school.
Ms. Valente is the first adult to take Claudia seriously when she brings up Monday’s absence. This suggests that Claudia simply hasn’t been looking for help in the right places yet—she’ll possibly have more luck if she asks the school for help. Ms. Valente, unlike Ms. O’Donnell, also seems to genuinely care about Claudia. This is why she assures her that Claudia will be fine in Ms. O’Donnell’s class: she wants Claudia to know that things will improve.
Themes
When Ms. Valente notes that Claudia and Monday might be together in high school and asks where Claudia wants to go, Claudia says Banneker. This is where Monday decided they’d go. Ms. Valente asks if she has a second choice. Claudia doesn’t and says it depends on what Monday wants. Ms. Valente chuckles and refers to the girls as “a two-headed horse.”
Though Ms. Valente laughs here, the fact remains that Claudia is lost without Monday. She’s never had to think about what she’d like to get out of her future high school experience, aside from spending more time with Monday. And Claudia seems either unwilling or unable to think for herself either without Monday around to guide her.
Themes
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In the office, Ms. Valente asks the secretary, Ms. Clark, to check for Monday. Claudia can barely contain her excitement. After a few clicks, Ms. Clark says Monday isn’t registered. Neither August nor Tuesday are registered, either. When Ms. Clark asks if the family moved, Claudia notes that Mrs. Charles is still at the same house. Ms. Valente says that in her experience, schools follow up in situations like this. Ms. Clark explains that lots of students moved due to the rent hikes, but she promises to pass on a note.
Ms. Valente seems to share Claudia’s suspicion that something is wrong. But Ms. Clark insists that there’s a very plausible, simple explanation for Monday’s absence: she, like so many other local kids, is part of a family that can’t afford the rising rents in the area. So in her mind, Monday’s absence isn’t concerning. As Ms. Valente implies, the school might follow up in other circumstances—but not when it seems like this is a pattern prevalent among many families.
Themes
