Return to Sender

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2009

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Chapters 8-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 8 Summary: “Eight|Ocho: Spring (2006)”

In “Return to Sender Farm,” Tyler looks forward to spring and enjoys the return of the swallows. May grows consistently warm, but the rain makes the replanting of the farm difficult. Tyler notices how sad Mr. Cruz and Mari are, and he knows that Mari’s mother’s return is complicated by sadness and guilt. Grandma announces she plans to go to Mexico in the summer with Alyssa’s church youth group. Mr. Rossetti decides he must go along to keep Grandma safe. Mari asks for a diary for her birthday. Tyler uses a free website he finds to name a star after Mari. He plans to show her the star and other springtime constellations, but the night of her birthday is too rainy for viewing. Tyler brings the certificate announcing the named star to Mari’s trailer, but as the two talk on the porch, Mari’s father roughly tells Tyler to leave, thinking Tyler has come to ask for the $500 loan to be repaid. On the next clear night, Ofie and Luby are at Grandma’s while Tyler takes Mari to the telescope to see the named star. While all three girls are out of the house, the trailer is swarmed with immigration agents who arrive to apprehend Mari’s parents.

Mari’s first-person correspondence in this chapter is a series of entries in her birthday gift, a diary. She explains that she and her sisters are hiding from the authorities at Mr. Rossetti’s house. The girls have missed two weeks of school and do not know what will happen to their parents. Mari relates seeing the ICE agents take Mamá and Papá from the trailer before she and Tyler ran to Grandma’s. Grandma brings them all to Mr. Rossetti’s. The next day, Memorial Day, they remain in the house, but that night, Grandma and Mr. Rossetti take the girls and Tyler to the graveyard to view the little flags Grandma and the girls made for a church fundraiser. Mrs. Paquette, Senora Ramirez, and Tyler come to see the girls; they tell Mari that Papá and Mamá are in separate detention centers, and that authorities associate them with lawbreaking immigrants because Mamá’s bag was found with the bad coyotes. Papá could be in great trouble for hitting a federal agent in his arrest. Tío Armando is to be deported right away, but Mamá and Papá “have to stand trial and maybe go to jail before they can go home” (278).

Tyler brings well wishes in the form of a letter from classmates on the last day of school, June 21. Mrs. Ramirez stops by to see Mari, and Mari asks the teacher if she will drive Mari to the office of la migra to “explain everything to them” (284). Mrs. Ramirez and her boyfriend Barry drive Mari and Tyler to Burlington. Caleb Calhoun, the lawyer, attends the visit as well. He mentions that ICE agents went after Mari’s parents in a “national sweep known as Operation Return to Sender” (286). “Return to Sender” is a phrase used by the US Postal Service for mailed items that lack proper postage.

Mari tells Mr. O’Goody, the immigration official, about Mamá’s imprisonment, hostage situation, and rescue. She explains how Papá’s behavior stems from guilt and despair; he was unable to protect Mamá, so when the ICE agents came, “he just wasn’t thinking […] It’s like he’s turned into someone else with the bitterness and the hurt inside him” (291). Finally, Mari explains how she herself is not an American citizen and offers to go to prison in Mamá’s place. When Mari is finished, Mr. O’Goody tells her, “You’re a brave and noble young lady” (292). He says he will share the Cruzes’ story with the deciding authorities.

After waiting for news, Mari finds out that Mamá will be released on an agreement in which she testifies about the coyotes who held her hostage. The families plan for Mamá to stay with Tyler’s aunt and uncle in Boston along with the girls until they return to Mexico. At first Ofie fusses about leaving America, but Mari convinces her and Luby that they must try for the sake of the family. Mari feels sad to leave Tyler and the farm; she hopes to see the farm one more time before they travel from Vermont to Boston.

Chapter 9 Summary: “Nine|Nueve: Summer Again (2006)”

In a letter to Mari dated July 28, Tyler discusses how strange it will be to see Mari in Boston for their “real goodbye” (299). A judge dropped all charges against Mari’s father, and the whole family is returning to Mexico. Tyler indicates that he and Mari spoke on the phone, but he likes writing his thoughts to her in this letter, which he intends to give her as they part ways.

Tyler’s father will soon lease the farm to Uncle Larry. This year’s seeds did not root and grow due to heavy rain, and Tyler’s father knows he cannot afford purchased grain to feed the cows through the year. Tyler’s mother tells his father he can do other jobs related to farming, and she reminds Tyler that “life is about change, change, and more change” (300). Tyler maintains an upbeat tone despite the loss of the farm; he realizes he might enjoy more time for science and other interests. The family will not have to move and can someday buy back ownership of the farm if they want to. Tyler can keep his new calf Margarita as well. For all these reasons, the prospect of losing the farm is not as dire as it once was. Tyler also sees that Mari’s family went through much harder circumstances. Tyler wants to concentrate on positive thinking; he mentions how, in 10 years, Ofie can return as an American citizen, then help the rest of her family emigrate legally and become naturalized citizens of the United States.

Tyler explains that he is giving the telescope to Mari as a “goodbye gift.” He confesses he paid no money to name Mari’s star. That reminds him to mention that he wants a good name for the farm before the legal paperwork is done for the leasing arrangement. He is considering the name Amigos Farm but asks Mari for more ideas.

Mari’s reply is dated August 19. She and her family settle into life in Mexico. Some ways of life are harder than in America: “Here, we can’t just have the washing machine do the laundry. We have to gather kindling to cook because electricity costs so much” (313). Ofie and Luby find it difficult. Grandma and Mr. Rossetti, who are visiting with the church group, will fly home soon. Mari thinks Mr. Rossetti had a wonderful time in her town, striking up a curious friendship with Mari’s Abuelito and Abuelote, though they do not speak a common language. Mari says the church group must depart early because upcoming elections might cause protests and unrest. Papá is happy again and eager to participate in the changing politics of the town; Mari shares that he thinks Tyler is a nice and kind boy. Papá again promises he will pay Tyler back. Papá at first says Mari should not keep the telescope, but Grandma intervenes and says, “you don’t give back presents!” (311). Papá is sympathetic when Mari tells him about the Paquettes’ farm. Mari shares that her Mamá is much better as well.

Mari asks for ideas for the farm name from her family members. Ofie suggests the “Three Marías Farm,” which Mari likes but discourages because it is “kind of conceited” to use their name for a farm where they lived just briefly. Mamá suggests “Buenos Amigos (Good Friends) Farm,” and Grandma think of “Estrella Farm.” Mr. Rossetti offers “Stars and Stripes Farm,” which inspires Mari to think of “Estrellas and Golondrinas Farm”—Stars and Swallows. Mari tells Tyler everyone liked that possibility, and that the farm’s name could show points of connection between their cultures; they are “not just patriots of a country, but citizens of the planet” (317). In closing, Mari reflects how relieved and happy her grandparents are that the family is home.

Chapters 8-9 Analysis

Tyler’s fears of legal repercussions initiated in the novel’s inciting incident (discovering that undocumented workers are living and working on his family’s farm) come suddenly true when, in the story’s climax, ICE agents find and take away Mari’s parents. In a well-established pattern of reactions, however, characters swiftly rise to help individuals both in their own family and in the greater, now-established family circle of the Paquettes and Cruzes. Grandma and Mr. Rossetti provide the girls a hiding place. Aunt Roxy and Uncle Tony again prove their generosity and open-mindedness when they house Mamá and the girls in Boston. Grandma’s influence allows Mari to keep the gift of Tyler’s telescope. Uncle Larry will lease the farm from his brother so the Paquettes do not lose the property to a stranger and so they have the chance to purchase it back someday. Tyler’s mom encourages her husband and Tyler to think about change as a positive force that allows for greater opportunities.

Tyler and Mari show completed character arcs through their individual recounting of events in Chapters 8 and 9. Unlike the timid and uncertain girl from the beginning of the story, Mari now shows strength and poise in deciding to go to the immigration office and explain her family’s presence in the US. After deportation, Mari’s tone is content and accepting; Mexico is both a home to enjoy and appreciate for her extended family and a place ready for change and improvement, as evidenced by her discussion of the upcoming election and potential repercussions of the vote. She welcomes Tyler’s gift of the telescope and shares it with others in the town, allowing neighbors to see constellations. This clear symbol stands for the spread of new thinking, acceptance, and inclusion, and is paralleled by the discussion of local elections and Papá’s new involvement in political change.

Dynamic changes in Tyler’s characterization are also evident. After helping Mari rescue her mother by loaning money and arranging the ride home, he now realizes that his role is one of indirect and silent support when Mari goes to speak to Mr. O’Goody. He alludes to his own sense of catharsis after getting to know and love Mari’s family for a year; while he hates to lose the farm at all, it does not bother him the way it once did because Mari’s family’s circumstances reveal the Paquettes’ own blessings. After keeping the telescope to himself during weeks of purposeful avoidance of Mari, he overcomes his fears and inhibitions about accepting her friendship; he decides to give her the telescope as a gift to cement their common interest in stars and constellations. He also welcomes Mari’s input in naming the farm, a task he and his family have worked on for a while; this indicates he feels that Mari and the Cruzes have become like family.

Though they say goodbye and do not know when they might see each other again, both Tyler and Mari end the story looking positively toward the future and appreciating the love and dedication of family.