When Brent
accepts Mrs. Zamora's request to place whirligigs around the country in memory of Lea, he is
motivated by the desire to escape.
Strange as it was, it
would get him away from Chicago, his parents, and his recent past. It would also give him a
chance to do penance. He'd never traveled on his own before. The idea held sudden
appeal.
As Brent begins to build the first whirligig, he
struggles to cut the wood into the shape he drew and the board breaks. His first reaction is
anger and frustration but he knows he has to try again. With his second attempt, he begins to
learn patience.
He picked up the whirligig book and stared
at the previous owner's patient, precise script. He almost felt the man was with him, telling
him to settle down and conquer the project calmly, step by step.
Brent faces unfamiliar situations and learns new skills to fulfill the commitment he
made to Mrs. Zamora and to Lea. Each time he builds a whirligig he learns something new about
himself. When Brent finishes the last whirligig and attends the dance, he feels a sense of
renewal, but he understands he has more to learn.
He knew
[the guilt] would reside in him like the ashes after a fire, unconsumed. But something had
changed. He discovered ... a new view lay before his mind's eye.
Brent can face the challenges he initially ran away from: his parents, school, and
people who know about his accident.
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