Character Analysis
Nice Little Church Boy
Begrudgingly, Moose is the hero of our tale. What do we mean? We'll let him explain this himself: "I was born responsible. It's a curse" (3.39). Moose is a play-by-the-rules, do-the-right-thing kind of kid. These are all good qualities—don't get us (or Moose) wrong—it's just that he can take himself lightly enough to admit that sometimes he wish he were the daring type instead. Don't we all, Moose, don't we all.
Plus, he's not the only one giving himself a hard time about being the good kid on the block. Piper constantly teases him, saying things like: "They teach you how to be a nice little church boy in Santa Monica?" (9.75). Ugh. Plus, at the age of twelve, he's nearly six feet tall. His teacher makes fun of the poor kid when she asks him "big for seventh grade, aren't you, Mr. Flanagan?" (7.9). In other words, whether it's his good manners and thoughtful ways, or his towering height, Moose kind of sticks out. Which basically no twelve year old ever wants to do.
Still, though, despite being moved to a tiny island filled with prisoners, loaded with responsibility for his sister (at one point he tells his mom, "'nobody takes his sister with him everywhere he goes'" (13.29), and getting shunned at school because he's too busy helping his mom with Natalie to play baseball with his new friends, Moose still manages to let his good side shine through. He may say, "Scout's the only real friend I've made so far and apparently I've lost him already" (19.1)—making it clear Moose is one lonely kid—but he never acts rude of rebellious.
The only nasty thing Moose does in the whole book is give his sister extra treats to spite his mom—after getting kicked of the baseball team: "I go home like I'm supposed to, but the second my mom leaves, I let Natalie get her buttons and I give her as much lemon cake as she wants. I'm not sorry about it either" (18.40). Real rebel, this one. Even when he's breaking the rules, he's still playing nice.
Tall For His Age
You might ask: Is it always good that Moose keeps his mouth shut, even when his gut tells him that something's a bad idea?
It's a fair question, to be sure, but here's the deal. Moose is in seventh grade. It's actually a great sign of his character that he loves his parents enough to obey them even when he doesn't want to. He doesn't have that teenage angst-y side (well, at least not yet). Instead, he has the maturity to not throw fits. Check it out:
I want to pull my hand away, but I don't. I keep walking. Good Moose. Obedient Moose. I always do what I'm supposed to do. (4.62)
But just because Moose plays by the rules, doesn't mean he doesn't wonder. When he's battling the injustice of the world (a.k.a. his mom not letting him play ball with his friends on Mondays), he asks himself: "What if I've been seeing how it goes my whole life?" (13.69). He wonders if maybe, in always following the rules, he's missing out on some of life.
It's one thing to marvel at Moose's self control and acknowledge that he's aware it might come at a price—but let's look at that submissive side of his from another angle. It's time to address why Moose might always keeps so quiet. Which brings us to his mom.
Mrs. Flanagan is an overbearing person (for more info on this lady, check out her page in this section). Moose doesn't have a great relationship with her because of this. She tends to overlook his good qualities, and act really insensitively. For example, when he overhears her telling somebody that "he's smarter than he looks" (21.8), Moose thinks there must be something wrong with him. He asks himself: "what is it with me that even my own mother thinks I look stupid?" (21.9). Ouch.
He also hasn't really had an opportunity to prove to his parents that he's not a little kid anymore. Especially his mom—at one point he says, "Sometimes she needs reminding that I'm not five anymore" (13.8). Remember: He hasn't been five for seven years at this point. Plus, while Moose's mom treats him like a baby, she also heaps responsibility for Natalie upon him, a load that only feels heavier to carry because she doesn't really recognize him for holding it so well.
Unsurprisingly, then, watching Moose assert himself is one of the best things about the story. By the end of the book, he has no problem being the adult in the situation. The biggest example of this is when he tells his mom that she needs to wake up and realize that Natalie's not a baby anymore. He says:
"She's not going to be like everybody else, Mom. This is her only chance and it's no chance at all if you're not honest." (35.19)
Moose definitely isn't biting his tongue any more, and as an added bonus, he's asserting himself as an authority on Natalie and her experiences—you know, because he spends a ton of time with her and, as such, knows her pretty freaking well.
This isn't just about Moose speaking up, though; it also reflects him coming into his own on a bigger level. With his dad always working, Moose is kind of forced to be the man of the house, and in the quote above, we see him laying claim to this position. Go, Moose, go.
Luckily for Moose, this all works out well, and in the end, his mom comes to recognize him for the young man he is. After her big fight with Moose, she tells him:
"You did it because you believed in your heart it was the right thing to do. You were doing what you thought would help your sister." (36.23)
It's actually how Moose has been acting all along, but now that he's putting his mouth where his money is (so to speak), even his mom can see what an upstanding person our main man is.
Moose's Timeline