Petey

Ben Mikaelsen

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1998

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-4

Part 1, Chapters 5-9

Part 1, Chapters 10-14

Part 2, Chapters 15-19

Part 2, Chapters 20-23

Part 2, Chapters 24-27

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Themes

The Importance of Friendship & Connection Amidst Isolation & Loss

Over the course of Petey’s life at Warm Springs and then at Bozeman Nursing Home, Petey is never alone, but he is frequently lonely and isolated. On the men’s ward, he is constantly surrounded by other people in a crowded, loud, and chaotic environment. Patients and staff alike contribute to the busyness of the atmosphere, but Petey has no attachments to any of them. Unable to move independently and hindered in his ability to communicate with others by both his physical disability and the lack of patience with and interest, Petey is trapped in place in his own mind. Even the proximal intimacy of his relationships with those caregivers who assist him with every task and see to all of his physical needs does not serve to breach any emotional barriers. The majority of the people on staff perceive Petey as an entity and not a person with thoughts and feelings. It is the quality of the genuine connections and friendships Petey makes over the course of his life that make a significant impact upon him. Until Calvin makes the effort to engage with him, only Esteban had considered there might be more to Petey than everyone presumed. It is Calvin’s persistence and genuine interest that drive him to continue making strides with Petey. Ironically, it is Calvin, considered intellectually disabled, who discovers what doctors and attendants could not. Calvin is the only constant comfort in Petey’s world, and through Calvin Petey becomes integrated into the social life of the ward. As he translates and advocates for Petey, Calvin creates a bridge between his friend and the people around them. Calvin’s extroversion draws Petey out of the confines of his physical limitations. For Calvin, his role as Petey’s advocate and best friend provide an anchor when Calvin finds himself adrift in his periods of depression. When Calvin’s moods are elevated, he is rambunctious and dynamic to the point of becoming a nuisance on Ward 18. When Calvin is in a depressive episode, it is only Petey with whom he maintains contact. Cassie succeeds in drawing Calvin out of his isolation in asking him to take on the official role of Petey’s caregiver, and a marked improvement in Calvin’s mood is observed as a result. When Owen arrives, Calvin is experiencing a significant period of depression, and Owen’s first impression of them finds Calvin and Petey finding comfort in resting together, Calvin’s head on Petey’s chest.

Petey and Calvin’s significant relationships with those staff members they bond with give their life inside Warm Springs meaning. These close relationships with staff members inevitably end in loss as the staff moves away or retires. Though these losses are painful, Petey cherishes them, which is evidenced by him keeping the trinkets given to him by each person over the decades and even through his move to a new facility. Petey attempts to pull away and resist developing any more connections to avoid the pain of loss, but his positivity and enjoyment of whatever his life can bring him makes it difficult for him to remain disconnected for long. The power of the connections he made with Calvin and Owen is illustrated in the fact that the bonds were still just as strong decades after they were separated as they were when they were together.

Shortcomings of the American Mental Health System & Complacency and Disinterest on the Part of Service Providers

When Petey is sent to Warm Springs Insane Asylum as a child, his parents and the medical staff making decisions on his behalf are acting according to the social and medical parameters typical of the historical time and place in which they are oriented. While it may not have reflected the standards for best practice on the cutting edge of psychiatry and pediatrics, it was not uncommon for children with cerebral palsy to be inaccurately diagnosed and for the assumption to be made that every presentation like Petey’s was accompanied by an intellectual disability. The lack of initiative and motivation to adjust the institution’s overall assessment and approach to Petey’s care over the 50 years he spends at Warm Springs exemplifies the complacency and stagnancy demonstrated by many state facilities of the mid-20th century. In 1965, when Owen arrives for his first day of work at what was once known as Warm Springs Insane Asylum, he notes the institution is now known as Warm Springs State Hospital. For Owen, the change appears to be only a nominal one. When Owen approaches the nursing director about Petey’s misdiagnosis, he is told the psychiatrists on staff make regular evaluations of the patients in their care. The fact that Petey’s diagnosis has not been amended despite consistent evidence of its inaccuracy has left Petey trapped within a set of expectations that remain prejudicial and detrimental.

By the time Petey is transferred to Bozeman Nursing Home, his diagnosis has been corrected, and the original presumption of intellectual disability has been voided. Despite this adjustment in Petey’s favor, the healthcare system continues to fail him. Thorough transfer notes are not provided, so Petey struggles to adjust as smoothly as he might when he first moves to Bozeman Nursing Home. Even before Trevor draws attention to the issue, it is evident that Petey’s wheelchair has reached a state of disrepair insufficient to suit his needs. The administrator of the nursing home excuses his unwillingness to expend the resources needed to procure a new chair on the grounds that he believes Petey’s case does not warrant the expenditure. Decisions about Petey’s care based on prejudicial, inaccurate perceptions of his quality of life continue to be made on his behalf, even though he is a man in his 70s who is capable of making his own decisions. When Petey becomes ill, similar judgements affect his quality of care when Drs. Cook and Waters consider him unworthy of excessive intervention. His surgery is delayed because Dr. Cook initially intended not to operate at all. When Petey says he does not want to die, the doctor only listens because there is someone there to translate for him and because the number of visitors at Petey’s bedside puts satisfactory pressure on him. Despite how far he has come, and despite the advances in medicine and the claims that healthcare had improved for those with disabilities in the time since Petey was admitted to Warm Springs, Petey remains at the mercy of the system.

Resilience and Tenacity as Both Protective Mechanisms & Facilitators of Hop

The people who come in contact with Petey and come to know his story are amazed by his ability to retain a positive attitude and open mind despite all he has suffered. As a child, Petey tries repeatedly to communicate with staff members who largely dismiss and ignore his attempts at creating a connection; until Calvin’s arrival Petey is locked inside his body by his inability to engage with the outside world. Thereafter, any opportunity to interact with others who are receptive to and respectful of his communication style is embraced by Petey. Petey always accepts opportunities to participate in any activity he can. Petey and Calvin fall in love with Western movies and TV shows and act out gun battles on the ward with Joe’s encouragement. Cassie brings Petey and Calvin to an outdoor concert and regularly brings her baby daughter Lisa to socialize with Petey. When Owen comes to work at Warm Springs, Petey looks forward to the weekly movies and dances Owen brings them to. At Bozeman Nursing Home, Petey loves sitting outside in his chair enjoying the weather and participating in activities organized for the residents.

In the gaps in between his relationships with Joe, Cassie, and Owen, each spanning years at a time, Petey might have developed a despondency resulting in pessimism and lack of further interest in participating in social activities. He could have retreated into his mind and deteriorated emotionally as many patients who are permanently institutionalized in psychiatric hospitals often do. Despite all of the ways in which people have failed him or dismissed him, and despite the inevitability that people will eventually be forced to leave him due to circumstances beyond their control, Petey remains social, if only at a distance. Petey’s choice not to allow new friends to get as close to him as those he loved so dearly in the past was a conscious one, but so was his choice to be happy, which was made in the same moment. When Petey decides to connect with Trevor, reaching out to him through Sissy to initiate a friendship, he has hope he might once again reach past a barrier and succeed at building a bond even after 13 years of guarding his heart. The challenges Petey faces are numerous and often seem astronomical to others. Those who have a chance to observe his remarkable way of being in the world are often humbled by the endurance of Petey’s spirit and his appreciation for life.