Full Tilt

Cassandra’s final attempt at survival illustrates the meaning of Blake’s journey. While finding balance in his relationship with Quinn was important, it was the peace he made with himself that defeated the park. Cassandra cannot find the same peace and, in her final moments, pursues an external balance. She explains, “Because of you, I’ve found fear and have finally experienced loss. Because of me, you’ve found strength. We’ve been too much to each other” (193). Blake elaborates: “She wanted a safe haven within me” (193).

Cassandra pulls her strength from others; none of it comes from within herself. Blake has learned to find his own. Just as Blake had to face his own trauma, he tells Cassandra, “You’ve got to face [death] alone” (193). Cassandra refuses. This fundamental difference allows Blake to survive and dooms Cassandra. The falling house from The Wizard of Oz kills Cassandra. In the novel’s first chapter, Blake relates that his father left “on the night of our annual viewing of The Wizard of Oz” (5). There is a link between the film and Blake’s trauma, but by addressing that trauma head-on, he has reframed the memory as a strength. The trauma is still part of his psyche, but Blake reframes it as a survival tool.

When Blake, Maggie, and Russ awake from the park, Blake’s car has smashed into a tree—the same tree they nearly hit while approaching the park. For Blake, vehicle accidents have been a trigger for fear and caution. Now, however, Blake walks away from the crash without any injuries. In fact, hitting the tree might have been a blessing. One of the paramedics tells Blake, “Lucky that tree stopped you, or you might have gone over the edge [of the quarry]” (195). Again, a source of trauma becomes a safety device.

Blake makes a final choice to overcome his fear: He is going to college. Without the strength he gained in the park, Blake was ready to avoid the decision. By the conclusion of his journey, he accepts the role of risk in his future. He will have to fly to New York City at the age of 16 and start an independent life; achieving those goals was impossible for Blake before his journey. He has returned to his normal world, but it is forever changed because of his new outlook. As Blake narrates, “I thought about leaving for school, and I felt those familiar butterflies […] But they’re no longer a source of discomfort. In fact, I think I kind of like the feeling” (201).

Blake finds balance with supporting characters, as well. While he doesn’t understand his feelings for Maggie, he does hold her and comfort her. He forgives Russ for his betrayal, but their friendship remains uneasy: “‘Don’t expect me to write to you at Columbia,’ [Russ] said. But somehow I expect he will” (200). Blake has learned to live with unease and to be comfortable in the space between caution and chaos; his friendships are left unresolved to highlight this theme.

Quinn displays a similar balance, bringing his arc to a close in a similar place as Blake’s. Quinn wakes from his coma and plays board games with Carl; the former signifies his will to survive and the latter shows his newfound openness to family changes. Again, Shusterman doesn’t resolve his characters’ arcs in overly tidy ways. While Quinn has become a less stubborn boy, he maintains a forceful personality: “King Tut still moved for no man” (198). This supports Shusterman’s central themes and Blake’s journey. The journey was not about vanquishing trauma and responses to it—it was about learning to accept imperfection and risk.