68 pages • 2 hours read
Elise BroachMasterpiece
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 1-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “A Family Emergency”
Marvin is a beetle living with his family in the wall of a cupboard under a kitchen sink. They share space with the human family, the Pompadays, who occupy the apartment in which the cupboard resides. The cupboard provides everything Marvin’s family needs: food from the garbage can, soft walls for carving out their home, and dripping water.
Marvin is awoken one morning by the frantic pacing of Mrs. Pompaday. His mother retrieves him from his cotton ball bed, telling him there’s an emergency. Marvin’s family—Mama, Papa, Uncle Albert, and Cousin Elaine—have been having a tense discussion in the next room. Elaine informs Marvin that Mrs. Pompaday has dropped her contact lens down the drain of the bathroom sink. Marvin’s aunt, uncle, and cousin live in the bathroom cupboard; Marvin’s family doesn’t want to risk having Mrs. Pompaday call a plumber because the plumber might spot the worn away cupboard walls. Marvin is the only one in his family who can swim; his family recruits him to retrieve Mrs. Pompaday’s contact lens. Marvin’s parents are proud of the fact that he can swim but are also concerned about Marvin’s safety.
Marvin has been practicing swimming in the cap of a juice bottle, but he is nervous about swimming down a drain. Marvin’s mother decides to go with him to the sink to make sure everything looks safe. Marvin’s Uncle Albert leads Marvin and his mother to the Pompaday’s bathroom. Marvin brings a small fragment of a peanut shell, which he has been using as a flotation device when practicing his swimming.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Down the Drain”
Marvin, Mama, and Uncle Albert make the treacherous journey from the kitchen cupboard to the bathroom. To stay unseen, they travel along the baseboard, then cross a dark oriental rug where their shells blend in. They hear Mr. and Mrs. Pompaday arguing about what to do. Mr. Pompaday is Mrs. Pompaday’s second husband, and she brings up her first husband, saying he’d know what to do. Mr. Pompaday insists on calling a plumber. Mrs. Pompaday argues that it will take all day for the plumber to arrive, and she must leave for work in twenty minutes.
James, Mrs. Pompaday’s son from her first marriage, suggests she wear her glasses instead. Mrs. Pompaday compares the idea to going to work in her bathrobe. Marvin and his family are fond of James because James has spotted them but never told his parents or tried to harm them.
Marvin, Mama, and Uncle Albert sneak past the family, who are arguing in the bedroom doorway, and make their way to the bathroom. Because the Pompadays are distracted, the beetles can make it to the edge of the sink without being spotted. Uncle Albert keeps a lookout while Marvin and Mama advance to the drain. Marvin is nervous about the dark hole but can see the water inside once his eyes adjust. Mama warns him to go slowly, and Marvin assures her he will.
Inside the drain, the water is foul, filled with bits of food, hair, and soap. Marvin isn’t sure what a contact lens looks like, but he spots a bowl-like item stuck to the side of the pipe. Realizing he can’t hold onto the lens and his peanut float at the same time, he releases his float and dives for the lens. Mama frantically calls after him when he releases the float, but Marvin dislodges the contact lens and brings it to the surface. Mama meets Marvin at the water’s edge and takes the contact lens. They decide to leave it next to the faucet for Mrs. Pompaday to find.
James enters the bathroom. Mrs. Pompaday, who is on the phone with the plumber, calls to James, asking if the pipes are copper or steel. James spots the contact and informs his mother, who comes running in disbelief. Once the bathroom has cleared out, the beetles make their way back to the kitchen cupboard, where Marvin is lauded as a hero. Marvin takes a much-needed bath.
Chapter 3 Summary: “The Birthday Party”
The next day is James’s eleventh birthday party. James is upset because none of the guests are his friends—just children of Mrs. Pompaday’s real estate clients. Mrs. Pompaday has a habit of putting her business and clients above James’s needs and desires. James asks if his dad will come to the party; Mrs. Pompaday says she doesn’t know. James’s dad is an artist who painted a large canvas that hangs in the Pompaday’s living room, much to the discontent of Mr. Pompaday. Marvin likes the art; the beetles spend many evenings in the living room because the Pompadays often drop crumbs while they watch TV.
The beetles want to do something special for James’s birthday. They check their “treasure box,” a small velvet box full of scavenged valuables, and find nothing suitable. Uncle Albert is a skilled electrician, but James has nothing that needs repairing. They decide they’ll give him the buffalo nickel from the treasure box if they can’t come up with anything else. James is a sharp boy who will certainly notice it’s a special nickel.
When the party starts, the boys attending act destructively, making messes, breaking electronics, locking another boy in a closet, and tormenting the magician. Marvin watches from behind the skirt of the living room couch, recalling his grandfather who was crushed by a stiletto during a different party.
James’s dad, Karl, arrives. James is excited to see his dad but perplexed by the gift he brought: a nice pen and ink set. Karl shows James how to fill the pen. Mrs. Pompaday urges Karl to leave because the boys’ parents will be coming soon to pick them up, and Mrs. Pompaday will want time to converse with them. Karl says he’ll pick James up tomorrow. The parents arrive and Mrs. Pompaday makes James hand out party favors while she speaks with potential clients, boasting about Karl, the artist, as he leaves.
Chapter 4 Summary: “A Present for James”
Marvin and Elaine decide to give James the buffalo nickel. Once the Pompadays have gone to bed, Marvin painstakingly rolls the nickel to James’s room, stopping to huff and puff each time he rolls it over a doorway threshold. He leaves it in the middle of the floor where James won’t miss it.
Marvin thinks about James’s party and feels sad for James. Marvin notices the vial of open ink on James’s desk and climbs up to look. James has spread newspaper across his desk to prevent spills. Three pieces of nice paper sit on top of the newspaper, but James has only marked one, experimenting with the pen and doodling his name. Without thinking, Marvin approaches the open ink and dips his legs in. Observing the cityscape through James’s window, Marvin recreates the image by dragging his legs along a clean sheet of paper, making all sorts of lines and textures.
Marvin works all night on the picture and is quite proud of his work when the sun comes up. When James wakes up, Marvin hides behind the lamp on James’s desk. James notices the nickel and wonders where it came from. James spots Marvin’s work on the desk and looks around. He approaches the drawing in awe, whispering to himself about how incredible the artwork is and how much it resembles the view outside. James asks aloud who created the picture, and Marvin nervously reveals himself, walking out from behind the lamp to stand proudly on the desk in front of James.
After a moment, James asks Marvin if he is the artist, then asks how. Marvin demonstrates his technique by dipping his legs in the ink and tracing a border around his work. James excitedly praises Marvin, happy that his birthday gift is being used so beautifully. James admits that he’s not an artist like his dad and how this is his favorite birthday gift.
Mrs. Pompaday calls from the hallway, asking who James is talking to, then enters the room as Marvin swiftly hides.
Chapter 5 Summary: “That’s Remarkable!”
James stands from his desk nervously and greets Mrs. Pompaday, who is holding James’s baby half-brother, William. James tells her he’s getting ready for church, and she tells him to hurry, complaining that she’s the only one who cares about being on time. She asks who James was talking to, and James says he was talking to himself.
When she notices the uncapped ink vial, Mrs. Pompaday approaches the desk, scolding James about leaving it open. Before James can hide it, Mrs. Pompaday sees the artwork. At first, she thinks it was a sample that came with the set, but then she notices it’s a recreation of the view from James’s window. Marvin fears James will tell Mrs. Pompaday about the beetles, but James stays silent and lets Mrs. Pompaday come to her own conclusions.
Mrs. Pompaday exclaims how brilliant the art is and gushes about how she never knew James had such talent. She shows Mr. Pompaday, who remarks that James couldn’t have done it because it looks like a museum reproduction. After comparing the art to the view through the window, Mr. Pompaday asks where the ink set came from. Mrs. Pompaday informs Mr. Pompaday that Karl stopped by and brought the ink set. Mr. Pompaday says the drawing is much better than Karl’s paintings. Mrs. Pompaday wants to show off the artwork and encourages James to start another. James asks her to leave the drawing and tells her that he won’t have time to make another before his dad picks him up after church.
When Mr. and Mrs. Pompaday leave, Marvin emerges. Marvin knows his family is worried about him after staying out all night, so he leaves in a hurry. James calls after him, but Marvin keeps going.
Chapters 1-5 Analysis
The first five chapters of Masterpiece introduce the dual worlds of James and Marvin. These worlds are united by Marvin’s artwork, creating a bond between human boy and beetle and setting up a source of conflict. There is a heavy emphasis on characterization in these chapters. Broach introduces the Pompadays and the beetles, as well as their dynamics with James and Marvin.
The Pompadays are characterized by their preoccupation with appearances. Mrs. Pompaday especially cares more about how she comes off to her friends and clients than she does about her own family, illustrated by James’s birthday party, which Mrs. Pompaday uses as another opportunity to network. By contrast, Karl tries to show James he cares by taking time out of his day to stop by the party and bring James a gift. Still, the pen and ink set Karl brings is much more relevant to Karl’s interests than to James’s, showing a disconnect between father and son. James’s birthday is disappointing despite the efforts from both of his parents. It isn’t until James discovers Marvin’s drawing that James fully appreciates Karl’s gift.
The beetles form a stark contrast with the Pompadays. Marvin’s parents and extended family are all very close, having regular gatherings and showing deep concern for one another. Whenever Marvin embarks on a dangerous quest, like retrieving the contact lens, the beetles are supportive and concerned for him. Mama even goes with Marvin into the drain to ensure he gets out safely. The quest for the contact lens itself, while dangerous, is necessary for the beetles to ensure their survival in the Pompadays’ apartment, and Marvin’s decision to retrieve the lens shows the concern he has for his family is just as strong as the concern they show for him. Another way the beetles contrast with the Pompadays is their care for James. Despite having never interacted with James, the beetles want to do something special for his birthday because they know James is the most benevolent human in the house and would never do anything to hurt them. The beetles’ decision to give James the buffalo nickel shows the effort they are willing to put into making James happy, as delivery of the nickel is a dangerous and difficult task for the beetles.
These chapters also introduce the reader to the dangers the beetles face in their everyday lives. They must be constantly aware of their surroundings and of what the Pompadays are doing at any moment. They are on high alert for shoes that may accidentally or purposely crush them, as well as dangers like mice, drowning, vacuum cleaners, and curious babies. Because of their size, the beetles exercise an abundance of caution, warning one another about dangers and reminding each other of their fallen family members who exist now as cautionary tales.
Finally, these chapters introduce the motif of art that plays a key role throughout the novel. Art is first brought up in Chapter 3 with the description of Karl’s large piece, Horse, hanging in the Pompadays’ living room. Marvin admires the artwork, noting that it “didn’t look like a horse, [but] it felt like a horse” (17), revealing Marvin’s appreciation for fine art. This appreciation is taken a step further when Marvin feels compelled to make his own art with James’s new pen and ink set, setting off a chain of events that becomes the main plot of the novel.
