49 pages • 1 hour read
Kevin HenkesOlive's Ocean
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Banana Baby Food Jars
Lucy is a picky eater and only eats banana baby food, so their symbolism is somewhat ironic. Lucy’s food tastes don’t change throughout the narrative, but Godbee and Martha repurpose the jars. In this way, they represent change and how a person can use an object for different purposes. Godbee collects the empty jars and fills them with water and food coloring so that they reflect light during the day. In Godbee’s hands, the jars become decorative, and they add to the quaint atmosphere of her cottage. Martha asks to borrow one of the jars, and she uses it as a container for the ocean water that she wants to bring to Olive's mother. Martha reflects on the transformation of the baby food jars, and the narrator summarizes her thoughts, “She found it strange that something so insignificant—the jar—could contain a piece, however tiny, of something so grand—the ocean. Olive’s ocean” (227). As a symbol of change, the jar represents Experiencing Change in Adolescence. The fluidity of the world can turn something with seemingly little or no value into something of the utmost consequence.
From another angle, the jars symbolize fulfillment. In Lucy’s case, the fulfillment is bodily. She’ll only eat banana baby food, so that’s the only food that can fulfill her hunger. For Godbee and Martha, the fulfillment is less tangible. Godbee gets an elusive thrill from seeing the colors reflected by the jars, and the jar becomes a key part of Martha’s purpose. Through the jar, Martha can complete her goal of bringing the ocean to Olive via Olive’s mother. The narrator notes, “The jar seemed to take on weight in Martha’s hand as it took on importance in her mind” (184). Due to the value of the jar, Martha treats it as if it were a sculpture or a valuable piece of art. If the jar breaks, Martha’s achievement vanishes.
Orphan
The term orphan captivates Olive and Martha, and they use it in their writings. The first sentence of Olive’s hypothetical novel reads, “The orphan’s secret wish was that her bones were hollow like a bird’s and that she could just take off and fly away” (15). Martha's story begins, “Her name was Olive. She arrived at her grandmother’s house in tears. She was an orphan. She held her grandmother’s old wrinkly hands and wept” (74). For the girls, orphans are symbolic of their anguished loneliness. Though Olive doesn’t present herself as alone, Martha, Holly, and the landlord agree that Olive was visibly isolated. Martha isn’t alone. She has a loving family, a best friend, and romantic interests, yet her assessment of the word indicates that Martha feels alone inside. She doesn’t have someone she can confide in. Still, being an “orphan” and desolate contributes to the feeling of selflessness. It makes her feel like she doesn’t have to share herself with anyone.
Writing
The motif of writing supports all three themes in Olive’s Ocean. The theme of Identity and Self-Discovery is reflected in Martha’s writing when sets aside herself and creates a new character in the form of Olive. Through the fictional character, Martha can sort through her experiences of the world. The story becomes a way for her to document and revise reality. She makes her grandmother a character in the story, and she turns Jimmy into a character. Writing allows Martha to avoid dealing with her own problems, because she can focus on the Olive character instead.
The motif also supports the theme of Coping With Loss and Death. Due to writing, Martha doesn’t lose Olive. By studying Olive’s journal entry, and by writing a story with a character named Olive, Martha counters her absence. Olive’s spirit remains omnipresent. Writing also gives Martha a way to catalog the losses endured by her grandmother. In the story, Martha writes, “The grandmother was old and frail. Her fingers were like ginger roots” (92). Writing about Godbee’s diminished strength helps Martha confront it.
The motif lastly underscores the theme of Experiencing Change in Adolescence. As Martha’s feelings and emotions change, her writing changes. The story acts as a record of Martha’s volatile feelings. When she likes Jimmy, James (Jimmy’s character in the story) receives a positive portrayal. After Jimmy betrays Martha, Martha turns him into “a stupid, flat-faced boy” (168). With writing, Martha can make her feelings visible. She can organize them effectively so that they don't overwhelm her.
