Concept and Vocabulary Analysis of Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Organization of the Text:
The book is set up like a frame story. While Sal travels on a road trip with her
grandparents, she tells them a story about her friend Phoebe. The text alternates between Sal narrating
Phoebe’s story and her experiences with her grandparents. But, as Sal says in the first chapter,
“Beneath Phoebe’s story was another one. Mine” (Creech 3).
The novel is divided into 44 individually titled chapters. Reading assignments could easily
be broken up into a series of chapters. Ideally the assignments will end with either Phoebe or Sal’s
story.
The chapter titles could easily be used to help students make predictions and inferences
about the content of the chapter.
The story progresses as the characters travel from Ohio to Idaho. It might be interesting or
beneficial to chart the progress of the story along a map, so students have a visual aid.
Literary Devices within the Text:
Themes:
See Major Concepts below.
Setting:
Most of the novel is set in Euclid, Ohio, where Sal and her father move temporarily.
However the frame of the story takes place while Sal and her grandparents are taking a
road trip from Ohio to Idaho. The end of the novel is set in Sal’s hometown of Bybanks,
Kentucky. Several of the scenes in this novel are very setting specific, particularly the final
parts set in Idaho where Sal’s mother dies. This would be a good novel to help students
understand the impact of setting on a story. Why is the story better because Sal tells it
throughout the road trip? What does each location add to the story? Why is setting so
important thematically in this book? How is the Idaho setting related to Sal’s mother’s
death and to Sal’s journey?
Symbolism:
Creech employs a lot of symbolism within this book. For example, trees and
blackberry kisses become symbolic within the novel because they have special sentimental
meaning for Sal and because they remind her of her mother. Blackberry kisses also
become symbolic for Ben. This would be a good illustration of the idea that symbols only
have worth when they are understood. Another broad symbol is that of the road trip and
the symbolic use of a journey or a road, not only in this novel, but in many other’s as well.
Foreshadowing:
This book is also a mystery story, and it contains a lot of foreshadowing. There are
several mysteries. What happened to Sal’s mom? Who is Margaret Cadaver and how did
she and Sal’s father meet? Why is Mr. Birkway at Mrs. Cadaver’s house? Who is the
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lunatic and how does he know about Phoebe and her family? Where did Phoebe’s mom
go? Where is Ben’s mom? Who is leaving the Winterbottoms messages? All of these
lines not only engage students’ interest but can prompt them to look for clues
(foreshadowing) throughout the novel. It is also a good chance for students to practice
making predictions and inferences. Students can be encouraged to write these predictions
down as they read and then evaluate their predictions at the end of the novel.
Chronological Organization:
The text is organized as discussed above. It would be a nice text to introduce the
concept of flashbacks and frame stories.
Characterization:
Much of the humor in this book comes from the unique personalities of the
characters. The characters run the entire gamut of personalities from the uptight and
conservative Winterbottoms, to Sal’s quirky, fun-loving grandparents. Students will
benefit from being able to analyze and identify the characteristic personality traits and how
their personality affects their actions in the novel. For example: Why do Sal and Phoebe
react differently when each of their mothers leave? In what ways do they act the same? Or
How does Phoebe characterize Mrs. Cadaver and why? Does Mrs. Cadaver’s behavior fit
this characterization?
Names:
Phoebe is convinced that Mrs. Cadaver is a murderer because of her last name.
This is a good springboard to the importance of names in the novel. The protagonist’s
name is Salamanca Tree Hiddle. Students could answer the following questions: Why did
Salamanca’s parents name her (Creech 7)? What does this tell you about Sal’s parents?
Why did Creech give the protagonist a unique name? Phoebe’s sister is named Prudence,
what does this tell you about Phoebe’s parents?
Point of View:
Walk Two Moons is told from a first person perspective because it is really Sal
telling the story of how she worked through her grief. First person narration also allows
Creech to develop suspense and not reveal all of the solutions to the mysteries until the end.
It would be interesting to have the students rewrite chapters (some of which are very short)
from another perspective so they can see how the story would change if Phoebe were
telling it.
Affective Issues Related to the Text:
• The loss of a loved one. Have you ever lost someone you love? Or in the case of
Ben, has someone you loved been sick?
• Moving or being homesick like Sal is for Bybanks, Kentucky. Have you ever had
to move to a new place? How did it feel to be the new kid in school? Did you miss
your old home?
• Ben is Sal’s first crush and first kiss. Have you ever felt unsure of how to act
around someone you might like?
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•
•
•
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Phoebe imagines wild and crazy explanations involving a lunatic who she thinks
kidnapped her mother. Have you ever been scared of something you don’t know or
you don’t understand? Have you ever made up stories and excuses to explain the
unexplainable?
Sometimes Sal’s grandparents do crazy things, like dancing in public, driving down
the shoulder of the road, or wading in a river. Have you ever been embarrassed of
your family or grandparents?
When Mr. Birkway reads the class’s journal entries aloud, the class gets upset, and
embarrassed. Have you ever been embarrassed to share your true feelings? Have
you been embarrassed when your friends found out a secret about you? Have you
felt betrayed by someone who you thought would keep a secret?
Phoebe can be bossy and annoying, but Sal can still see her good qualities (166).
Have you ever had a friend that bugged you, but you still stayed friends with them?
Why is it important for friends to sometimes overlook each other’s faults?
Vocabulary Issues:
Sal’s grandparents use a lot of pet-names and made up words throughout the book. Creech
also pronounces things the way people from Bybanks do (Illinois) etc.
Grandparents vocabulary: chickabiddy 99, gooseberry, huzza, huzza (53)
Other vocabulary issues might include longer words like rhododendron (85) or
cantankerous (98), but most words should be within the vocabulary of a junior high student.
Major Concepts of the Work
• Friendship: Sal and her father learn and benefit from their new friends in Ohio. Although
Sal and Phoebe are very different, they are close friends. Students could discuss the
importance of acceptance in friendship. They might also reflect times when friends have
helped them or on their own abilities to be a friend.
• Loss and Grief: Walk Two Moons treats the issue of loss very well. It isn’t overly
sentimental, graphic, or depressing, and it ends with a hopeful ending.
• Growing Up: Like many adolescent novels, Walk Two Moons deals with Sal developing
and understanding adult issues.
• Love: This book has all kinds, familial, friendship, romantic, and even first loves.
• Courage: Several characters show courage in dealing with personal problems, loss or
sickness.
• Aging/ Illness: While not the central theme of the book, Sal’s relationship with her
grandparents opens up this issue for the reader’s discussion.
Background Knowledge Needed
Almost none is needed for this novel. Creech does a great job of setting the story up.
However, students might benefit from the following:
• A map of the United States
• Background information on some of the places Sal and her Grandparents visit
Implications for Students of Diversity
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Sal is part Native American and she discusses her and her family’s opinion on being called
Native American vs. Indian. This could segue into an interesting discussion involving politically
correctness or labeling in general.
ELL or struggling readers might have a hard time with a lot of the vocabulary that Sal’s
grandparents use. They use a lot of slang terms from the rural south and they also use a lot of
made-up words which might confuse struggling readers.
The frame story format might also confuse struggling readers at first.
Gender Issues
The two young protagonists are female but Ben is a substantial character, as are Sal’s father
and grandfather. Gender roles are implicit brought up as both Phoebe and Sal’s mothers leave
their family for different reasons. Sal scrutinizes the gender roles within the Winterbottom and the
Finney households, which might be interesting to discuss and compare. Sal talks about wondering
why her parents wanted more children, so familial roles in general could also be brought up. Also,
depending on the class, it might be possible to discuss Sal’s mother’s miscarriage and the feeling
of loss of her womanhood after her hysterectomy, although that topic might be too much for a
sixth or a seventh grade class to tackle.
Things Students Will Hopefully Remember
The grieving process is different for everyone.
The life is a journey metaphor.
Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.
Friends and family are important.
Central Questions:
How does each person overcome hard times in their lives?
Who am I and how do I fit in?
Research Issues and Project Ideas
In groups, students could research an area Sal lives or travels, as part of their prjoectthey
could each create postcards. They would be required to write the postcard from one character to
another, ie Grandfather to his son, Ben to Sal, Sal to Phoebe etc.
They could collect proverbs like the ones left on the Winterbottoms doorstep. They could
even have a secret-Santa type assignment where students leave someone in the class an
anonymously proverb. As part of the assignment, they would have to explain what it means in
their own words.
They could also write their own proverbs.
Mr. Birkway asks his students to draw their souls in fifteen seconds. Students could draw
their own souls (Segal). This assignment would work best before student read that chapter so that
they don’t feel the need to draw things similar to the characters in the book.
Informational/ Functional Texts That Could Support this Book
Sal and her English class read the e.e. cummings poem “the little horse is newlY” (123) so
it would be fun to have students read that text as well, although it is a literary text.
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Proverbs like the ones the left on the Winterbottoms’ porch could supplement a reading of
this text.
Works Cited
Segal, Marta S. “Stepping Through Walk Two Moons.” Booklinks. May 17, 2006
http://www.ala.org/ala/booklinksbucket/walktwomoons.htm
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