Lucky Broken Girl

Ruth Behar

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Quiz

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Symbols & Motifs

Ruthie’s Crutches

Ruthie gets crutches from Dr. Friendlich in March of 1967, when she has finally healed enough to be rid of a cast. Immediately, the fear sets in: “I’m a turtle without a visible shell […] I can’t get up. I can’t. I can’t” (172). For both Ruthie and the reader, the crutches are thus a symbol of her fear of learning to walk again. This fear stems from the idea of breaking her leg a second time. Her legs feel foreign and strange to her from lack of use; they even look strange, with wasted muscle and an abundance of hair growth.

Amara arrives after two nurses have given up on teaching Ruthie to use the crutches. Amara is tough and fearless; her insistence on Ruthie’s capabilities propels Ruthie to learn how to walk on the crutches, transforming their meaning. Now, the crutches symbolize a way to contend with other fears, like traversing stairs and returning to school. Finally, when she no longer needs them, the crutches turn into a symbol of Ruthie’s fears of moving beyond what’s happened to her, and she clings to them desperately. However, when Amara takes them from her, Ruthie again proves to herself that she can proceed despite her fear.

Threats to Modesty, Maturity, and Privacy

A motif of threats to Ruthie’s modesty, privacy, and maturity exacerbates her feelings while she is stuck in bed and subjected to situations in which she has no control. This lack of control contributes to the theme involving loss of freedom or independence. Over the course of her recovery, Ruthie must deal with the necessity of the bedpan, her inability to wear underwear or normal clothing, her experience with prune juice, Mami’s control over her diet, and her inability to eat with the family. These threats to Ruthie’s maturation and freedom serve as goalposts that highlight her gradual return to freedom as first the body cast is removed (she can sit up and mix eggs for New Year’s flan) and then the leg cast is removed (she learns to get around and returns to school).

Symbols of Acceptance

Symbols of acceptance appear in the novel in connection with the broader theme of acceptance. When Ramu visits Ruthie after the accident, he gives her a necklace with a dancing Shiva charm: “He dances to bring goodness to the world. That’s why I like him. One day you’ll dance too, Ruthie. Shiva will help you” (109). Soon after, Ruthie begins to pray to Shiva as well as God, asking for healing for herself and good things for others in her life. She shows that she accepts the notion of different cultures and religions with this action. Ramu’s confidence that Shiva will help Ruthie and that she will one day dance proves prophetic when Ruthie supports herself on both legs, crutch-free, to dance the tango with Chicho.

Other symbols of acceptance include the cream puffs and dandelions that represent not only the healed friendship between Danielle and Ruthie, but also Ruthie’s acceptance that she was wrong to assume that Danielle was not a true friend. Finally, the broken piñata in Chicho’s apartment represents a celebration of healing and hard work, as well as Ruthie’s acceptance that the time to leave the safety and security of her bed is now past.