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46 pages • 1 hour read
Andrew ClementsThe Landry News
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1999A 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
Newspapers
Newspapers in the novel symbolize the nature of expression and ideas, and underpin the novel’s exploration of how ideas can be shared and debated in a positive way for society. The Landry News is the primary paper of the novel, and the changes it undergoes represent the importance of good journalistic practice and drive the narrative arc and lesson of the book. Prior to the book’s opening, Cara used The Landry News to vent her anger by hurting others. In this way, the novel first presents The Landry News as a poor example of journalism because it was written with deeply subjective and unkind motives. The first edition of The Landry News as shown in the book and Mr. Larson’s reaction to Cara’s editorial jumpstart growth for both characters and show both the potential for good and harm within good journalistic practice. Cara’s editorial is not as cruel as the ones she’s written in the past, and she uses facts to pose questions about Mr. Larson’s teaching style. Mr. Larson initially reacts poorly, but after thinking about the editorial, he realizes Cara is right. The editorial demonstrates the effects of telling the truth, which are traced through the novel’s subsequent events and character development.
The novel also presents a second newspaper. This paper more clearly symbolizes the values of independent expression and collaborative representation. Dr. Barnes is rendered powerless to stop the production of the Guardian because the newspaper no longer falls in his jurisdiction. The Guardian symbolizes how voices will find a way to be heard. The kids don’t agree with Dr. Barnes’s assessment of the divorce article, so they take a stand in the best way they’ve learned how from Mr. Larson’s class—putting facts to paper and distributing them for all to read. The Guardian also specifically symbolizes Cara’s resilience and willingness to stand up for what she believes. The Guardian is part of that fight, which shows Cara’s determination toward fairness and truth. The creation of the Guardian instead of The Landry News also symbolizes a fresh start for the characters at the novel's conclusion—one that is free of the negative origins of The Landry News, and which is truly collaborative.
Room 145
Room 145 is Mr. Larson’s classroom. In addition to being the main location in the book, Room 145 symbolizes the bond between teacher and student and is a microcosm of the world as a learning environment for young people. At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Larson is burned out and doesn’t bother getting to know his students because doing so feels too emotionally daunting. After a long career fraught with many frustrations, both personal and professional, Mr. Larson’s classroom has become a refuge where he can tune out the world and focus on something he enjoys—namely, reading the newspaper, particularly the sports section. With the introduction of The Landry News to Room 145, the classroom begins to shift from a place of disorganization and uneven learning to one full of critical thinking and understanding. Mr. Larson maintains his open classroom style, but by giving the students guidance instead of leaving them to their own devices, the jumble of supplies within the room becomes a useful resource. Mr. Larson’s stockpile of old newspapers—a symbol of his previous apathy—becomes useful as the kids learn about the newspaper-making process and the wider issues of expression, respect, and critical evaluation.
Following the publication of the divorce story in The Landry News, Room 145 becomes a symbol of the ongoing feud between Mr. Larson and Dr. Barnes. Dr. Barnes believes education should be a structured and organized affair that presents only approved topics for students to study. By contrast, Mr. Larson believes the real world belongs in his classroom, hence his assortment of books, papers, and other materials he’s collected over the years. Once Mr. Larson is accused of allowing inappropriate material to be published in his classroom’s newspaper, Room 145 becomes a representation of everything he stands to lose. At the beginning of the book, Mr. Larson didn’t care about the room because it was nothing more than a place he spent his time to earn a paycheck. Once he comes to care for his students and sees the injustice Dr. Barnes perpetrates against them for simply doing good work, Room 145 and the learning that goes on there becomes the most important thing to Mr. Larson, symbolizing the completion of his character arc.
The Hearing
The hearing symbolizes how there are multiple sides to every debate, as well as how freedom and responsibility intersect to create conflict between opposing viewpoints. The hearing is representative of the struggle between control and expression and is a trope used in stories where a powerful individual seeks to misuse their position. The novel makes Dr. Barnes’s motives clear: He is using the divorce story as an opportunity to fire Mr. Larson, not because he sincerely believes that it is wrong. By contrast, Mr. Larson fights for the paper’s freedom to publish what it believes in without threats from people seeking to weaponize the paper to suit their needs.
Once Mr. Larson comes to terms with the hearing and Dr. Barnes’s reasons for establishing it, he treats the hearing as a learning experience, both for his class and for all those who attend. Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Larson wants to make sure people know what the hearing truly is—a threat to freedom of speech for the press. The hearing is a set piece in which the “true” arguments of Mr. Larson and his supporters are heard, and the moral consensus wins out over the powerful individual. It is also an opportunity for the novel to engage in another life lesson. In showing that Mr. Larson acts with temperance and compassion, the hearing underpins the novel’s lesson about how best to behave when facts or correctness are on one’s side.
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