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Kathryn Ronayne Dr. Helene Staveley English 1101 12 March 2013 Word Count: 1392

And it is This Missing Part that Allows Them to Fly. Grant Explores the Acceptance of Individual Limitations as an Empowering Strategy

In Lacanian terms, the ability to access power is rooted in the individuals active assumption of the role into which society casts him or her (Day 69), implying that influence is gained by those who resolve their social limitations and use them advantageously. This is contrary to our intuition of individuality and empowerment, which would predict that agency is reserved for the notably intelligent, charismatic, wealthy, or beautiful. I would also like to assert that our intuition would also predict that the very empowered do not seek out loving connections with others, and probably see it as a sign of weakness. In Power and Polyphony in Young Adult Literature: Rob Thomass Slave Day, Sara K. Day shows that the most effective way for individuals to gain access to any degree of power is to understand and accept their roles in a system (Day 66). Similarly, in Jessica Grants Come, Thou Tortoise, Audreys choices to use her judgment, skills and the people around her were critical in overcoming adversity. By creating

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a character with a low IQ that understands herself largely as a child, but is gravely misunderstood by most everyone else, Grant shows that it is not necessary to mesh well with society, be independent or even intelligent to be able to enable oneself and others. In the opening scenes of Come, Thou Tortoise Grant creates the context to explore the role of intelligence in how Audrey gets through a very dark time in her life. Her life is marked by a failed relationship, separation from her beloved tortoise, the death of her father and, later, the disappearance of Uncle Thoby. Naive, delusional, childish, superstitious, and socially inept would no doubt have been just some of the words scribbled in the margins of some readers in response to Audreys antics, which would certainly have caused them to question her critical thinking abilities. As the novel progresses, however, Audrey surprises her audience with many piercing observations (Edugyan), one of which is her explanation of problem solving: You dont solve a mystery by adding information. You solve a mystery by subtracting what you think you already know. (Grant 330). By narrating in the first person, Grant shows that Audrey displays high level thought. This skill of hers becomes instrumental in overcoming her challenges even though her IQ was a bit disappointing (Grant 309), showing that she need not possess intelligence to be empowered. Because her approach to problem solving is analogous to how she played Clue as a child with her father and Uncle Thoby, the text emphasizes how one can draw on existing skills, developed through the individuals unique experience, to conquer new conundrums. Particularly, the game of clue further illustrates the importance of how Audrey understands herself as part of a family unit. Because she has success in finding Uncle Thoby by employing this method, Grant shows that Audrey is influential because she works within her role in the familial structure.

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In addition to her deductive/detective powers (Grant 329), Audrey Flowers capacity to love is arguably her greatest power of all. Because of her characterization as a human being that derives her sense of worth by caring for others, Grant presses the inaccuracy of the conventional notion that independence is a sign of empowerment. Like Thomass Slave Day, where multivoiced narration allows for the most explicit exploration of mutual influence and control (Day 67), it is from the voice of Winnifred, instead of Audrey, that we learn just how much power the young girl has over a man that abandoned her:

He gives me my dinner and sits on the floor to eat his own. His hands are chalky from climbing. Mr. Noodles in one hand. A tiny spoon in the other. Big bottle beside him. He admires my castle and says, She could really build things, couldn`t she.

Without Audrey, Clints pain shows in how he is unkempt, not eating well, and drinking. It is obvious that he misses a girl who, even after he left her at the Grand Canyon, was still thinking of [his] safety (Grant 361). When Clint realizes that Audreys nature makes her more suitable to care for the tortoise, he sends her across the continent to St. Johns from Portland. The reunification of Audrey with her tortoise implies that in participating wholeheartedly in the necessarily social romantic relationship, she secured authority over her partner, enabling her to overcome at least one challenge. In St. Johns, after retrieving Uncle Thoby from Penzance, Audrey is much more empowered than when she first left Portland. Now in an exciting new romance with Judd, the Christmas light inventor, her growth is illustrated when she states that she would decline an offer from Clint should he invite her back to America. This supplants the recurrent phrase, I would not say no with But I would say no now (Grant 355) showing that

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Judds expression of care and love has helped her set boundaries, enabling her to seek only those relationships that will help her on her way. Come, Thou Tortoise also rewards the characters that have suffered rejection, and in many cases disables those that exhibit the least eccentricity. Uncle Thobys joblessness, asymmetry, long term closet homosexuality and alcoholism make him a physical and social misfit. Additionally, Winnifred has been rejected by many tenants. She describes her emotional volatility as The Ebb between her heartbeats. Unlike Winnifred, Audrey has an inability to both show and interpret emotions (Edugyan) which probably caused her to suffer the end of her relationship with Cliff. Yet, despite their perplexing traits, the narrative demonstrates that their peculiarities do not keep them from finding a place of comfort and happiness. Uncle Thobys return to St. Johns shows that he accepts his role as Audreys parent figure, and the reader expects him to be in a more empowered position because of it. Winnifred is removed from the environments that use her as a bookmark or allow her Ppier Mach to engulf in flames, and ends up living at the Flowers residence in a new glass castle. At the end of the novel, Audrey is a position to enable others: she becomes a Clints cab driver, figuratively achieving the status as an agent of positive change by helping people on their journeys. Because she trained with Clint when she first learned to drive, and maintains a focus on safety, her new occupation shows that she has accepted her unique set of abilities and is using them to enhance the lives of others. There is a clear distinction between the characters in Come, Thou Tortoise that are comfortable with their quirks and those that appear relatively normal. For example, Byrne Doyle, the good neighbour and politician, considers his relocation to Ottawa as a success and reward for his hard work. However, those that have accepted their roles as true Newfoundlanders (and Labradorians) know that he was making a very hard decision during his several days ... circling

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the pond, deep in thought (Grant 408). Doyles departure is narrated by Winnifred, who reports that he marvelled at the mouse, implying that he is in a disempowered position, for Wedge is a creature to which she believes she is superior. Hence, the novel concludes with its most normal character in the most helpless position, confirming Grants position that empowerment is granted to those who embrace their individuality, instead of those who continually seek the approval of others. Just as Day asserts that Shawn needed to sacrifice once means of accessing power in order to gain another(74), Byrne Doyle was required to abandon his one affiliation to seek a new role in which he might have more success. Unlike Slave Day, whose polyphonic structure explicitly draws attention to the ways in which each individuals role shapes and is shaped by the system of voices around it (Day 82) , Come, Thou Tortoise employs the multivoiced narrative to rethink their impression of Audrey, by calling on Winnifreds decades of lived experience and knowledge (Edugyan). However, reading Days analysis alongside Grants novel provides insight into another function of the Tortoise: her interpretations of her tenants reveal who is genuinely empowered. Of Judd, she says, I have learned not to underestimate [his] power, and of Audrey, Winnifred marvels, she turned the sofa into a bed, something I have always found fascinating to watch. Thus, it is shown that an individuals empowerment is integrated through the relationships they have with others, and given meaning through their perception. Just as Winnifred derives an exponential sense of purpose from a Shakespearean insult, Audrey is empowered by her relationship with her eccentricity, her connections, and her unique intellectual abilities.

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Works Cited Day, Sara K. "Power And Polyphony In Young Adult Literature: Rob Thomas's Slave Day." Studies in the Novel 42 (2010): 67-83. Edugyan, Esi. "Tale of Tortoise: Slow and steady wisdom aids an eccentric young woman." Literary Review of Canada 17.7 (2009): 18. Grant, Jessica. Come, Thou Tortoise. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2010.