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Chapter 37
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Walk Two Moons, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Judgment, Perspective, and Storytelling
Parents, Children, and Growing Up
Grief
Nature
Summary
Analysis
Gram interrupts Sal to say that this is what she’s been waiting for—she loves stories with good kisses. Sal doesn’t look at the map; she doesn’t want to know if they’re not going to make it in time. If she keeps talking and praying, they might have a chance. Gram asks what happened with Mrs. Winterbottom kissing the lunatic, and Sal resumes her story.
At this point in her story, Sal finds that storytelling can distract her from her fears in the present, while also helping her make sense of the past.
Themes
Sal heads back toward the university and finds Phoebe sitting at the bus stop. She doesn’t say anything about Ben or his mother but explains that she was afraid. Phoebe insists it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. She says that nothing happened; Mrs. Winterbottom and Mike just sat and laughed. Mrs. Winterbottom has cut her hair, and at one point, she even spit in the grass. Phoebe says it was disgusting; after seeing that, she doesn’t need her mother anymore. When they get home, and Prudence shouts that Mrs. Winterbottom called and is coming home, Phoebe is unenthusiastic.
Sal and Dad were a bit upset when Momma cut her hair, just like Phoebe is here. For both girls, their mothers’ long hair represented the women’s roles as wives and mothers. So, cutting it off is hard for their daughters accept, as it’s a way for the women to assert that they’re not just wives and mothers. They are their own people, and they can make choices about their bodies (and their lives more broadly) that their daughters might not understand.
Themes
Prudence tells Phoebe and Mr. Winterbottom that Mrs. Winterbottom didn’t say much, but she did ask that Mr. Winterbottom not make any prejudgments. She’s bringing someone with her, and this person is male. Phoebe looks at Sal, says “Cripes,” and goes inside. Sal doesn’t understand why Phoebe doesn’t tell her father what she saw.
Momma’s departure has strained Sal’s relationship with Dad, just as Mrs. Winterbottom’s disappearance has made Phoebe distant from her father. But despite this parallel, Sal isn’t making an effort to understand and empathize with Phoebe’s choice to stay silent.
Themes
Sal is ready to tell Dad the news, but Margaret is with Dad when Sal gets home. When Margaret finally leaves, Sal tells Dad everything. He says it’s good that Mrs. Winterbottom is coming home and then stares out the window. Sal knows he’s thinking about Momma. That night, Sal thinks about the Winterbottoms. To her, it seems like everything is going to fall apart tomorrow.
It's unclear whether Sal expects Dad to say anything about Momma when she shares that Mrs. Winterbottom is coming home. But for both Sal and Dad, the fact that Mrs. Winterbottom is coming home—whereas Momma didn’t—forces them to confront their emotions surrounding the loss of Momma yet again.
Themes
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