Moo: A Novel

This section first establishes the settings of New York City and Maine and builds characterizations of Reena, her family, and her new neighbors, laying the groundwork for the novel’s themes of The Rewards of Rural Life and Growing Into a New Life. This section also reveals the book’s central conflict: Reena struggles to adjust to her new home in Maine and to understand and accommodate the eccentricities of Mrs. Falala and Zora, who represent the challenge of adjustment.

The text uses engaging structural techniques, including opening the novel with the brief introduction of Zora. This introduction to the grumpy, stubborn cow creates foreshadowing and suspense, as Zora is characterized in unreservedly negative terms, highlighting future tension between Zora and Reena. The text’s non-linear structure also makes clear the importance of Reena arriving in Maine: The journey is a process that occurs within the novel, but the destination is presented before the move itself, underscoring Maine’s significance as the place where conflict occurs. New York City is a temporary setting, and this looming transition speaks to Growing Into a New Life. This deepens tension, as Reena, a city girl, will have to adjust to Maine alongside her family. Interestingly, it is Reena who blurts out, “Maine!” when her parents discuss where they might like to move, thereby launching the main plot into motion.

The foreshadowed challenges of Growing Into a New Life are established through the juxtaposition of the settings of New York and Maine. New York is portrayed as hot, crowded, and dirty, but also diverse and full of interesting cultural opportunities. Maine is contrastingly portrayed as cold and full of simpler pleasures, like blueberries and skiing. The transition between these two places is so significant that the family marks the change in their lives and identities with a “Moving to Maine” sign that announces their shift to passersby on the road, who are, in return, welcoming and playful, with a stranger leaving a note on the windshield literally welcoming them to Maine (20). This gesture contrasts sharply with the family’s New York City friends, who begin to distance themselves even prior to their move, suggesting disapproval of the decision to leave New York City at all. Luke’s friend hitting him upon learning of the family’s move intersects with Mrs. Falala grabbing Luke, demonstrating the physical vulnerability of youth and marking Luke as a character who receives action that Reena then finds language for.

The book’s form—a mixture of prose and poetry—captures Reena’s curiosity and her shifting thought process, mimicking the fluctuation of the adolescent perspective. At age 12, Reena is on the cusp of her early teenage years, which demands change beyond moving to Maine. The structural variation speaks to Reena’s process of adjustment, comprehending events through different lenses to understand them. The text uses concrete poetry through typography to intensify images and clarify meaning. In “Flight Path,” for example, the word “squeezing” is compressed and bolded, intensifying the feeling of traffic putting pressure on the family from all sides. The text offers vivid images, such as Reena describing her father stepping in “dog poop/ that oozed into every crevice/ of his running shoe” (22).

The characterizations of Reena, her parents, and Luke create empathy, and Reena’s narrative voice can be both straightforward and lyrical. Reena offers sharply observed details of her experience, demonstrating her flexible thought process and investment in nuanced communication. She is a warm and friendly narrator who can also be funny, joking that, since her parents accepted her suggestion of Maine so readily, she is “glad [she] didn’t say Siberia” (9). Her worries about her identity changing represent the process of growing and changing as a young adult. Reena’s closeness with Luke is significant, as she notes his discomfort in being touched by Mrs. Falala, though he never speaks about it. She is the protective, perceptive older sibling, and she and Luke are both presented as well-mannered children who treat Mrs. Falala kindly, even when she grabs Luke, simply because their parents taught them The Importance of Respect. Luke, like Reena, also expresses his thoughts artistically, drawing a frightening picture of Mrs. Falala as a clawed creature following their encounter. Reena and Luke value one another and are constantly together, pointing out The Value of Companionship between siblings, particularly in a strange, new environment.

Reena and Luke’s parents are both comfortingly nurturing and authoritative. As the adults in charge, they make the decision to move, and they insist that their children understand The Importance of Respect. They encourage their children to be helpful and polite to others, but they are also attentive to their children’s desires. They accept Reena’s suggestion of Maine as a place to move, and they send the children out exploring instead of expecting them to help unpack boxes after the move. Reena’s father is sensitive to others’ emotions and has a clear sense of humor about himself, and Reena’s mother shows compassion for Mrs. Falala when she sends the children with the books. Reena’s parents’ former occupations as reporters inform their characters, as they are detail-oriented, communicative, and willing to take calculated risks that require experimentation, like moving.

These chapters also introduce and characterize Mrs. Falala and Zora, who function as antagonists for much of the novel, presenting the social conflict Reena must overcome. They are stubborn and seem selfish to Reena, and she would prefer not to interact with them. Luke never wants to go back to Mrs. Falala’s house; the elderly woman’s insensitivity, bossiness, and abruptness terrify him. The children’s feelings after their visit to Mrs. Falala’s house create mounting tension related to the book’s central conflict: The move to Maine is a bold and hopeful choice, but Mrs. Falala and Zora seem determined to spoil the experience for Reena and Luke. The text’s non-linear structure provides rich characterization prior to the actual move, depicting a strong family unit, as well as four individuals with their own strong personalities. The family members are richly developed by the point of arrival, making the conflict between Zora and Mrs. Falala surprising. The family’s neighbors and new acquaintances are, in contrast, kind and welcoming, which complicates Mrs. Falala and Zora further.