Chapter 6: Troubles on a Line
Charlie Reese finds herself in hot water at school due to her defiant attitude, leading to a call home to Bertha. The conversation quickly escalates when Bertha attempts to address Charlie's difficult family situation—her incarcerated father Scrappy, her depressed Mama (Carla), and her seemingly carefree sister Jackie. Charlie unleashes a verbal assault, criticizing everything from the house to the town to Bertha herself, before storming out in a fit of anger.
Overwhelmed by sadness, Charlie collapses by the roadside, where Howard Odom discovers her in tears. He shares his mother's wisdom that sharing troubles makes them smaller and recites a saying from a needlepoint in his house: "If all our troubles were hung on a line, you’d choose yours and I’d choose mine." This prompts Charlie to confide in him about her dysfunctional family life, fears, and loneliness. Howard listens patiently and advises her to apologize to Bertha. As Charlie resolves to make amends, she spots the stray dog, who wags his tail for the first time. In that moment, she names him Wishbone. Howard offers to help her catch the dog, marking a shift in their relationship as Charlie begins to see him as a potential friend, introducing the theme of Friendship and Acceptance.
Chapter 7: A Blessing in This House
Filled with remorse, Charlie returns home to find Bertha and Gus on the porch. She tearfully apologizes, and Bertha kneels before her, offering comfort and calling Charlie "a blessing in this house." This statement deeply affects Charlie, who feels anything but blessed. Gus diffuses the tension by suggesting they eat blackberry cobbler before supper, showcasing the unconditional love and stability Bertha and Gus provide, a cornerstone of the theme of The Meaning of Family.
Later, an acorn falls near Charlie, prompting her daily ritual and reinforcing the central theme of Wishing and Hope. That evening, Bertha shares old photographs, including one of a happy, gap-toothed Carla, a stark contrast to the sad woman Charlie knows. When Charlie asks why the sisters grew apart, Bertha vaguely replies that "life gets complicated." Bertha offers to let Charlie call Jackie, but Charlie refuses, admitting her anger at her sister. That night, Charlie reflects on the "troubles on a line" saying and whispers a plea for Wishbone to return, solidifying her emotional investment in the dog.
Chapter 8: Our Garden of Blessings
Bertha takes Charlie shopping for new clothes in Asheville. During the car ride, Charlie presses Bertha for stories about her and Mama. Bertha recounts a time when a young Carla bit a bully, revealing that Charlie’s mother also had a strong temper. This makes Charlie reconsider the source of her own anger, realizing it may come from her mother’s side as well as her father’s. However, Bertha avoids explaining their estrangement.
The next day at Sunday school, Charlie feels isolated. The feeling intensifies when the teacher, Mrs. Mackey, announces a craft activity: creating a paper "Garden of Blessings." When Audrey Mitchell writes "My family" on her flower, Charlie is overwhelmed, highlighting everything she feels she lacks. Unable to name a single blessing of her own, she flees the room. Outside, she spots a cardinal and performs her ritual—spitting three times—and makes her wish. This act shows how deeply ingrained her wishing habits are; even in moments of intense pain, she clings to the hope that her one big wish will eventually come true.
Chapter 9: A Good Plan
On the bus, Howard tells Charlie he has a new plan to catch Wishbone. The conversation turns to wishing when Charlie spots an eyelash on Howard’s glasses and uses it for her daily ritual. She reveals that she has made the same wish every single day since the fourth grade. Howard points out that if she has to keep making the wish, it must not be working. His comment infuriates Charlie, who yells that someday it will come true, fiercely defending her long-held hope.
After school, Charlie goes to Howard’s house for the first time. The home is messy and chaotic but radiates warmth and love. She meets his kind mother and four rambunctious brothers. The walls are covered with the children’s artwork, and the family’s interactions are full of easy affection. Charlie stays for dinner, where the family holds hands for grace and eats together with noisy joy. The experience is a revelation for Charlie. She contrasts the loving chaos of the Odoms’ home with her own quiet, dark house in Raleigh, where she ate alone in front of the TV. Howard shows her his detailed, hand-drawn plan for building a trap to catch Wishbone. As she rides home on a borrowed bike, Charlie looks back at the Odoms' "sad-looking" house and sees it in a new light, understanding that the love inside is what truly matters.
Chapter 10: Butterbean
Charlie excitedly explains Howard’s plan to build a trap for Wishbone to Gus and Bertha. While Bertha voices practical concerns about a stray dog, she and Gus are ultimately supportive, sharing stories about Gus’s beloved childhood dog, Skeeter. Gus affectionately calls Charlie "Butterbean," a small sign of her growing place in their family. Charlie’s daydreams about Wishbone intensify; she imagines him as her constant companion, a source of unconditional love and a key part of her future. The dog has become the tangible focus of all her hopes for a better life, tying directly into the theme of Healing and Overcoming Trauma.
While helping Gus in the garden, a ladybug lands on Charlie, providing yet another opportunity for a wish. Later, Jackie calls again, her conversation filled with talk of boys, hair dye, and future plans that seem to have no room for Charlie. The call leaves Charlie feeling more forgotten and lonely than ever. That night, her thoughts drift from Wishbone to the Odom family, whom she pictures enjoying a happy evening together. She dreads returning to school the next day, feeling the weight of her isolation. The chapter ends with her conviction that catching Wishbone is more important than ever; he represents the one thing that could make her difficult life bearable.
Key Events
- Charlie's Outburst and Apology: Charlie yells at Bertha but later offers a sincere, tearful apology, leading to a moment of profound connection and forgiveness.
- Confiding in Howard: Charlie shares the full story of her family's troubles with Howard, laying the foundation for a genuine friendship.
- Naming Wishbone: Charlie gives the stray dog his name, solidifying her emotional claim on him and making him the symbol of her hope.
- Learning About Mama's Past: Bertha shares stories and photos that reveal a different side of Charlie's mother, complicating Charlie's understanding of her family history.
- The "Garden of Blessings" Incident: A Sunday school activity triggers Charlie's feelings of isolation and reinforces her belief that she doesn't have a family worth celebrating.
- Visiting the Odoms: Charlie experiences a loving, chaotic, and supportive family environment for the first time, which provides a stark contrast to her own family life.
- The Plan to Catch Wishbone: Howard devises a detailed plan to trap Wishbone, giving Charlie a concrete goal to focus her energy and hope on.
Character Development
Charlie, Howard, and Bertha all undergo significant development in these chapters:
- Charlie Reese: She moves from defensive anger to raw vulnerability, confiding in Howard and apologizing to Bertha. Her hope becomes intensely focused on catching Wishbone. Her visit to the Odoms' house opens her eyes to what a loving family can look like, deepening her own sense of loss but also expanding her understanding of the world.
- Howard Odom: He evolves from a quirky "Backpack Buddy" into a true friend and confidant. His persistent kindness, simple wisdom, and non-judgmental acceptance are instrumental in breaking down Charlie's emotional walls. He demonstrates empathy and offers practical support, proving to be a stable and reliable presence in her life.
- Bertha: Her deep capacity for love and forgiveness is highlighted in her response to Charlie's outburst. She provides emotional safety and begins to slowly reveal pieces of her complicated past with Carla, showing her willingness to help Charlie understand her family, even if it's painful.
- Gus: Gus continues to be a quiet, steadying force. His simple actions, like suggesting cobbler to diffuse tension or calling Charlie "Butterbean," demonstrate his gentle, accepting nature and his role as a stable father figure.
Themes & Symbols
The Meaning of Family is explored through stark contrasts. Charlie’s broken family is juxtaposed with the stability she finds with Bertha and Gus, and the vibrant, affectionate Odom family. The "Garden of Blessings" scene powerfully illustrates Charlie's feeling that she lacks a "real" family.
Charlie's Wishing and Hope rituals are on full display. Her conversation with Howard reveals the desperation behind the habit: it's not just a silly superstition but a necessary coping mechanism. When Howard questions its effectiveness, Charlie's furious reaction shows how vital this hope is to her survival. Wishbone becomes the physical embodiment of her one, all-consuming wish.
The Friendship and Acceptance between Charlie and Howard solidifies. Howard accepts Charlie, "troubles" and all, without judgment. He listens to her painful story and offers help instead of pity. This acceptance is new to Charlie and marks the beginning of her learning to trust someone outside of her family.
Symbols
Wishbone: The dog symbolizes everything Charlie yearns for: unconditional love, companionship, and a sense of belonging. Naming him is an act of claiming hope for herself. He is the tangible goal that she believes will solve her problems and heal her pain.
The Odoms' House: Initially appearing "sad-looking" from the outside, the house becomes a symbol of the idea that a family's love and warmth are more important than material possessions or outward appearances. It represents a healthy, functional family ideal.
Significance
This section of the novel marks a turning point in Charlie's emotional journey. Her explosive anger gives way to vulnerability, allowing her to form the book's most important friendship with Howard. By confiding in him, she takes the first step toward processing her trauma instead of just reacting to it. Furthermore, the introduction of Wishbone as a tangible goal gives Charlie's abstract wishing a concrete purpose. The events in these chapters establish the central relationships and conflicts that will drive the rest of the narrative: Charlie's quest for Wishbone, her budding friendship with Howard, and her slow, difficult process of finding her place with Bertha and Gus.
Analysis
Barbara O'Connor uses Charlie's first-person narration to masterfully convey the internal world of a child grappling with trauma. The reader experiences Charlie's anger, shame, and desperate hope firsthand. This perspective allows for dramatic irony, as the reader can often see the kindness in characters like Bertha and Howard before the defensive Charlie is willing to acknowledge it.
The use of foils is a key literary technique. The Odom family serves as a direct foil to the Reese family, highlighting what a loving, supportive family environment looks like and, in doing so, emphasizing the depth of Charlie's deprivation. Similarly, Howard's steady, logical, and empathetic nature acts as a foil to Charlie's volatile and emotional state, creating a dynamic friendship where each character balances the other.
Symbolism is woven deeply into the narrative. The relentless cataloging of Charlie's wishing rituals is more than just a character quirk; it's a powerful symbol of a child's attempt to exert control over a chaotic and painful world. By naming the dog Wishbone, O'Connor explicitly links this central symbol of hope to the theme of wishing, making the dog's capture synonymous with the potential fulfillment of Charlie's deepest desires.