Foon Yew High School, Kulai

Senior Middle Two

Final Exam 2017 Summaries of Captain Nobody

1. Do you find the title of the novel is appropriate? Support your answer with close reference to the text.
Based on the novel, Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford, I think the title of the novel is appropriate based
on several reasons.
The title is appropriate because it foreshadows the novel itself thus making the story becomes more
interesting. In the beginning of the story, Newton Newman is just a 10-year-old kid who lives in the shadow of
his star athlete brother, Chris Newman. As we read through the novel, Captain Nobody is Newt’s alter ego. The
creating of Captain Nobody happens during the Halloween celebration. Newt wants to cheer his mother up by
wearing his brother’s pieces of clothing.
The Halloween celebration marks the births of Captain Nobody. As time passes, Captain Nobody has
endured a lot of challenges together with his sidekicks, JJ and Cecil. Captain Nobody shows tremendous
courage by stepping into the Sullivan’s jewellery store and prevents catastrophe from happening during an
armed robbery attempt. Then, the most heroic act that is shown by Captain Nobody is during the scene of
Appleton water tower. Reggie Ratner has been mistaken by the public who think that he wants to jump because
of depression. Actually, he cannot move to safety as his foot is stuck between two beams. Captain Nobody
overcomes his acrophobia and helps lands on the ground and breaks his ankle and ribs after the massive guy,
Reggie lands on him afterwards. All of the heroic acts shown by Captain Nobody are paid off when he is
awarded with a golden key, which represents the Key to City.
This has clearly shown why the title is appropriate for the novel. It tells us how at the end, a normal kid
has finally contributed something to the society and finally gets noticed by everyone. Also, Captain Nobody
represents hope and his act of determination brings good value to the readers.

2. “No pain, no gain.” How far is this true in the novel? Support your answer with close reference to the text.
Based on the novel, Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford, there are many interesting incidents in the
novel. The motto ‘No pain, no gain’ is depicted in the novel by a few characters.
Firstly, it is shown by Chris. Chris trains very hard prior to the Big Game. There are times when Chris
oversleeps because of his hectic schedule. To help him off from bed, Newt will shout, ‘Hit the showers’, to his
elder brother. The Big Game is not just a normal game. It is the highlight of the season, where almost
everybody in Appleton will attend the game at the stadium or watch it live on the television. During the Big
Game, Chris works very hard especially when his team is falling behind during the final seconds. His hard work
finally pays off when he succeeds in giving a touchdown for his school. As a result, the Fillmore High School
has won the Big Game for the second time in a row. This has really shown that without hard work, there will be
a slim chance of success. We must work hard in our life.
Then, ‘No pain, no gain’ is also shown by Newton Newman. This can be seen in his efforts to get the
attention from the people around him. It starts off prior to the Halloween celebration. Newt works hard so that
he can celebrate Halloween with his two best friends, Cecil and JJ. He asks his class teacher some questions to
get some idea although he is ridiculed by his classmate. He also goes online so that he can come out with some
outstanding costume. His hard work almost goes to the drain but he is saved when his two best friends help him
with the costume. His hard work to get noticed does not stop there as he continues to gain attention by being
Captain Nobody. Captain Nobody has a series of interesting adventures and the climax part happens when he
helps Reggie on top of the water tower. In his attempt to talk to Reggie, he works very hard to overcome his
own fear. Apart from that, he manages to reach Reggie although the water tower offers many obstacles for
Newt. At the end of the day, all of Newt’s efforts are recognized as he is awarded with the Key to the City and
also people start to give him the attention he deserves.
In conclusion, it is eminent that we work hard to gain something that we want. Plus, other elements such
as courage and determination should come in as well so that it will be easier for us to achieve our goals.