Wreck the Halls: A Novel

The “Wreck the Halls” project is symbolic of fame and media attention and supports the theme of The Complexities of Love Under the Spotlight. When Beat and Melody sign the contract with Danielle Doolin and the Applause Network, they are agreeing to spend the subsequent two weeks in the spotlight. The idea behind the project is for Beat and Melody “to meet with [their] mothers on camera to try and convince them to reunite” while Applause Network “film[s] the process” and broadcasts it to millions of online viewers (36). Beat and Melody are initially hesitant about committing to the project because they know how difficult it can be to balance their public and private lives. Once they commit to “Wreck the Halls,” they are thus challenging themselves to navigate the complexities of fame.

Beat and Octavia Dawkins’s Ovations charity is symbolic of reputation. Beat agrees to pay Fletcher Carr when he blackmails him because he doesn’t want to ruin the work he and his mother have done with and through Ovations. The charity has upheld his mother’s reputation and made her an important philanthropic figure in the city. Furthermore, Beat refuses to take Ovations’ money to pay Fletcher because he believes in the charity and doesn’t want to compromise its integrity. Beat’s work with and regard for Ovations proves that he has a strong moral character and that his public persona isn’t a façade.

In Melody’s storyline, bocce is symbolic of confidence and self-expression. Melody is a naturally reserved individual who prefers to spend time alone rather than in large social settings. However, she participates in the bocce league to pursue a social life despite her discomfort. Over time, bocce helps her build her self-confidence and claim her sense of self in more public arenas. Indeed, at the novel’s start, Melody’s experience playing bocce is more anxiety-inducing, while her experience with the league at the novel’s end is more empowering. Bocce as a symbol develops the theme of The Journey Toward Self-Discovery and Personal Growth.

The braces Melody is wearing in the prologue are symbolic of self-consciousness. Melody feels suddenly aware of her braces when she meets Beat. The braces make her feel childish and ugly. She tells herself that she’s unattractive and invisible and that someone like Beat would never be interested in her. The braces underscore Melody’s youthfulness and the dysmorphic way she sees herself, particularly during her coming of age. While she no longer wears the braces in adulthood, this detail from the prologue establishes the self-consciousness Melody feels.

The Steel Birds reunion concert at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan is a symbol of reconciliation. Throughout the novel, Beat and Melody are convinced that bringing their mothers back together on Christmas Eve is an impossibility. They don’t know the specifics behind the Steel Birds breakup, but they do know that their mothers have had a fraught and seemingly irreparable relationship for the past 30 years. Successfully bringing Octavia and Trina back to the stage on Christmas Eve at the novel’s end captures how Beat and Melody have helped their mothers to heal and grow.