42 pages • 1 hour read
Jack GantosJoey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1998A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The House Key
After Grandma’s departure, Joey’s mother gives him a house key; he is alone at home for two hours after school prior to her return from work at the beauty parlor. This responsibility comes with appropriate rules: no cooking, no baths, no opening the door for strangers. Joey, having been accosted by aggressive neighborhood boys on the way home in the past, is happy to comply with this last rule.
The key is on a string around Joey’s neck. When he is feeling jittery in class, he practices swallowing the key and regurgitating it by pulling on the string. Mrs. Maxy removes the string one day to prevent this; however, Joey forgets and swallows the key whole. This event leads to the boy being dosed with mineral oil to have him evacuate it. He submits to Seth’s urging to swallow the key again, despite that it had been extracted from the toilet earlier that morning. In this sense, while the key represents a degree of autonomy for Joey, it also generates another level of difficulty when he succumbs to the desire to entertain Seth by swallowing it.
The Sewer Grate
Joey and his mother search for Grandma when she fails to return after the refrigerator incident, and they find her shoe near the corner sewer grate. Joey’s mother comments that perhaps Grandma was so “wired” that she slipped down through the grate. Despite their checkered history, Joey loves his grandmother, and it pains him to think that she may have been washed away. Eventually, he learns that she has merely gone to live with her son, Carter, in Pittsburgh. The sewer grate here speaks to Joey’s feelings of abandonment and his childlike understanding of his disorder. Because of his disorder, he often finds himself in harm’s way and assumes the same of Grandma. It’s telling that his mind would automatically jump to this conclusion rather than that he’s been abandoned by yet another parental figure.
The Pencil Sharpener
Mrs. Maxy attempts to accommodate Joey’s need for physical activity by allowing him to perform tasks in the classroom. On one occasion, he admits feeling “antsy,” and she responds by directing him to sharpen a box of used pencils in a manual sharpener. Joey becomes fascinated with the sensory aspects of this class, and he compulsively looks for other items to sharpen when he has finished all the pencils. He sharpens pieces of chalk and uses them to create fangs, and then a popsicle stick from the art supply cart. The stick shatters, and Joey gets splinters in his hand as a result. Finally, Joey decides to grind his fingernail in the sharpener in order to achieve a vampire look. This results in a bloody accident, treatment by the school nurse and the loss of his fingernail. The incident is indictive of his impulsive behavior—he has no regard for his safety and doesn’t perceive what effect his actions may have.
The Big Quiet Chair
Mrs. Howard leads Joey to a large metal chair and instructs him to sit quietly. When he is unable to do so, Joey attempts to rock the chair; however, he is unsuccessful because the chair is bolted to the floor. When he starts kicking wildly, Mrs. Howard removes his sneakers and replaces them with rabbit slippers. She tells him that he will have to wear the slippers until he learns to sit still and stop kicking. Joey is emotionally overwhelmed, and he falls asleep. Later, the Big Quiet Chair serves as a symbol of Joey’s progress, as he willingly sits down in the chair to read a book.
Pablo Pigza
Joey’s mother promises him that, if he does well at the Lancaster Special Ed Center, she will buy him a puppy. She is true to her word. Joey names the dog, a dachshund-chihuahua mix, “Pablo Pigza.” He establishes rules for Pablo, much as the rules that were imposed upon him led to more stability. When Pablo has difficulty with housebreaking, Joey brings him to obedience school. In a poignant conversation with his mother, Joey explains his reason for wanting a dog so badly. He alludes to the many times he sat by the front window during his childhood, awaiting her return. Joey wants to be the person who does return for Pablo, perhaps as a way of healing his own pain.
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By Jack Gantos
