107 pages • 3 hours read
Trenton Lee StewartThe Mysterious Benedict Society
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 16-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary: “Poison Apples, Poison Worms”
Jillson lectures that all of society’s problems are the result of bad government. She uses an analogy with the words “poison apples, poison worms” (213), which Reynie recognizes from the hidden messages they heard through the Receiver.
Abruptly Reynie feels extremely angry with Jillson. He feels like yelling and running away. Reynie looks at Sticky, who is glaring at his quiz as if he wants to destroy it. He looks at Kate and Constance, who both look ready to scream. After class, the team realizes that their strong anger is all in their heads, and they seem to be the only ones experiencing it.
Constance weakly asks if the others hear anything. Reynie comments that Mr. Benedict had predicted that this would happen, that those who are normally immune to the hidden messages would feel irritable and confused when the power was boosted. Because Constance is more sensitive than the others, she can directly hear the Messenger’s voice.
That night the team sends a Morse code message. The reply urges them to “become what you are not” (219), as they are running out of time.
Chapter 17 Summary: “A Surprising Suggestion”
Reynie thinks the message means that they must figure out a way for Kate and Constance to do better on their tests. To do this, they must set aside their love for the truth and learn how to cheat. Kate sits behind Reynie and copies his quiz answers, which works well. Constance sits behind Sticky, and he sends her the answers through Morse code, tapping his temples or tugging his ears.
The team overhears that the oldest Messenger, Charlie Peters, is graduating. They see Charlie walking with S.Q., so Kate tells the boys to talk to Charlie while she distracts S.Q.
Charlie barely registers the boys’ presence. Reynie says that Charlie must be sad to leave and lose his special privileges. Charlie replies that he cannot remember any special privileges, then grows agitated and refuses to answer any questions.
Chapter 18 Summary: “Tests and Invitations”
Jackson posts the new Messenger list. A girl named Bonnie has made the list, so the team is disappointed. Reynie stays behind and encounters Mr. Curtain, who says he is losing patience with Constance, since he does not trust her. Reynie replies that you should keep the people you do not trust close to you. Mr. Curtain agrees that he will keep Constance close, since she may prove useful.
Mr. Curtain invites Reynie to his office. Reynie sees a journal on his desk. Mr. Curtain tells Reynie that he had a terrible childhood in Holland and has dedicated his life’s work to bringing happiness to all.
Mr. Curtain says that Reynie is the cleverest student he has ever had at the Institute. He believes that Reynie is a natural leader who reminds him of himself, with a future as an Executive. Mr. Curtain confides that the Improvement is coming. Messengers will no longer be needed, and he intends to groom the best candidates for future service.
Chapters 16-18 Analysis
The team continues to feel confused by the illogical lessons in class: “‘You must work longer hours to have more time to relax’? ‘You must have war to have peace’? How are these ‘logical conclusions’?” (204). None of the other students seem perplexed by the lessons; they are only concerned with being promoted to Messenger status.
The most noteworthy development in these chapters is the team’s discovery that the Institute’s secret messages have increased in intensity, to the point that the team experiences uncharacteristic anger while they are broadcast. Constance hears the voice of the transmitting Messenger directly in her mind; this proves unbearable for her, and she becomes incapacitated while the messages continue. The boosted messages are a clear indication that Mr. Curtain’s plans are progressing and the team is running out of time.
That Constance is most intensely affected by the heightened transmissions makes her team view her in a more sympathetic light. They see now that she is not just an annoyance; she possesses a very special mind.
Another mystery the team encounters concerns Charlie, a Messenger who is graduating from the school and leaving. Kate thinks Charlie could be a good source of information about the special privileges enjoyed by the Messengers. Reynie and Sticky try to engage Charlie, but he resists their efforts in a way that Reynie finds disquieting. Charlie seems genuinely confused and upset when Reynie asks about his time at the Institute. Charlie claims to not remember any specifics of his time as a Messenger. Their questioning distresses him greatly, and he repeatedly insists, “I can’t say […] I really can’t” (230). Reynie gets the impression that Charlie is not choosing not to answer—he genuinely cannot recall and feels pain when he tries.
Reynie is unexpectedly targeted for special attention by Mr. Curtain, which leads to his admission to Mr. Curtain’s private office. Mr. Curtain takes notice of Reynie because he performs well in class and because he is a natural leader. He sees himself in Reynie: “The way your friends gather about you, the way your enemies wish to destroy you—don’t think I haven’t noticed these things. It is familiar to me, you see. You remind me of myself at your age” (241). Reynie is disturbed that Mr. Curtain believes they are similar in nature, since Mr. Curtain is so repellant and the opposite of what Reynie hopes to be, which is someone like Mr. Benedict.
Mr. Curtain’s approval of Reynie leads him to think of Reynie as a future leader within his organization. He shares information that he has told only his most trusted underlings: “Suffice it to say that the Institute as you know it is destined to change. Grand things lie in store. The Improvement is quite near, and after it has occurred there will be no such thing as Messengers anymore” (243). These admissions are a boon to Reynie and the mission, as the team now knows Mr. Curtain’s plans are ramping up.
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