The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Robert Cormier
"The Bumblebee Flies Anyway" by Robert Cormier is a poignant young adult novel that explores themes of mortality, identity, and the desire for freedom through the experiences of adolescents in an experimental medical facility. The story revolves around Barney, a control subject who is not terminally ill but is surrounded by peers grappling with their illnesses and mortality. Among them is Mazzo, a character yearning for a dramatic end, and his twin sister Cassie, who becomes a source of hope and connection for Barney. The narrative delves into the complexities of friendship and sacrifice, as Barney embarks on a mission to fulfill Mazzo's wish for one last ride in a car, leading to symbolic acts that question the nature of life and death.
Cormier's writing is marked by rich symbolism, with the titular bumblebee representing resilience against the odds. The novel is layered with mystery and irony, challenging readers to confront serious ethical questions about existence and agency. While it carries a somber tone, the characters exhibit a spirit of defiance and a quest for meaning in their dire circumstances. Overall, "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway" stands as a profound exploration of youthful struggle and the complexities of human emotion, resonating with readers through its accessible yet impactful storytelling.
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The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Robert Cormier
First published: 1983
Type of work: Psychological realism
Themes: Health and illness, death, and suicide
Time of work: The latter part of the twentieth century
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Locale: The Complex, an urban experimental medicine facility
Principal Characters:
Barney Snow , a sixteen-year-old research subject who befriends other boys in the Complex, all of whom are terminally illAlberto “Mazzo” Mazzafono , a handsome but disagreeable and selfish patient in the ComplexCassandra “Cassie” Mazzofono , Mazzo’s beautiful twin sister, with whom Barney is infatuatedAllie Roon , Barney’s friend, a boy who is neurologically impaired by his illnessBilly the Kidney , formerly skilled at stealing cars for brief joyrides, now weaker and sicker than BarneyDr. Edward Lakendorp , “The Handyman”, the Complex’s supervising physician and researcher
The Story
Barney Snow is one of several young people who reside in the Complex, an experimental medical institution, and participate in research on various aspects of their terminal illnesses. All are there voluntarily. Some of them hope to help humankind by contributing to research; one, Mazzo, hopes for a quick death and asks Barney to help him by pulling the plugs on his life-support system. Barney refuses. The reader is told that Barney is a control subject, “the norm by which to measure the abnormal,” not dying as are the other teenagers and younger boys.
Mazzo, who loved driving fast sports cars before the onset of his illness, is somewhat older than Barney, perhaps twenty, and critically ill. He is also so extremely disagreeable that the other boys refer to him invariably as “Mazzo. That bastard.” Although Mazzo is basically noncommunicative, he tells Barney of his strong desire to ride in a fast car once again and to die quickly, in the blaze of a car crash. Mazzo firmly refuses to see his mother or any family member, relenting only for one visit from his twin, Cassie, with whom he has a special bond.
When Cassie comes for the visit, Barney is immediately smitten. Willing to do anything for her, he agrees to be a companion to Mazzo, so that Mazzo will not always be alone, and also to be a “tender spy,” so that Cassie can find out every few days how her twin feels and what he talks about, among other things. The drugs and the experimental treatments given Barney selectively obliterate parts of his memory, and he starts to fear that he may lose his identity and his relationship with Cassie. Vowing to help Mazzo “go out in a blaze of glory” (although he had refused earlier to unplug the life-support machines), Barney promises to give him a last ride in a car—but has no idea how he can actually carry out what he has promised.
In a junkyard adjacent to the Complex, Barney sees a beautiful, red MG sports car. His fortuitous discovery opens up the possibility of the ride for Mazzo. Upon close inspection, however, the MG turns out to be a life-sized wooden model. Barney realizes that the car could still serve the purpose, but only if he can break it down into pieces small enough to be taken into the Complex, then reassemble it and sail it off the steeply pitched roof of the Complex with him and Mazzo aboard.
Barney tells Cassie about the project during one of her visits (without revealing the suicide and euthanasia intent), and upon hearing that the car is made of balsa wood, she responds that it is like the bumblebee, which is not supposed to fly. “The law of aerodynamics or something. Its body is too heavy and it’s the wrong shape. That makes it impossible that it should fly....But...it goes ahead and flies, anyway.”
Barney does manage to assemble the Bumblebee and assist Mazzo to the attic of the Complex, where they will be able to sail the car from a skylight. Ultimately, Barney realizes that getting the car rebuilt and to the roof was the important thing and that he and Mazzo do not have to be aboard the Bumblebee when it flies.
Context
Like The Chocolate War (1974), Cormier’s best-known book and the one most honored with awards, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway comes close to being a tragedy. Although the story, the setting, and the ending are uncompromisingly somber, the young people in The Bumblebee Flies Anyway triumph over their environment and situation in some measure. In so doing, they carry out the theme stated in the title. The red MG is not really built to go anywhere, but the bumblebee is not built to fly, either, and the bumblebee flies anyway.
Cormier’s novels are characterized by mystery, deception, plot twists, and irony. This book has an abundance of those elements. Cormier convincingly creates the setting of an experimental medical facility and well-drawn characters to carry the story.
A richness of symbols also distinguishes The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. From the grounds surrounding the Complex, which “were shabby and wore an air of neglect,” to the lilac bush that blooms and later withers, to the junkyard next door and the Bumblebee that itself is not what it appears to be, the symbols enhance understanding and add dimensions to the meanings. These symbols are, moreover, very accessible to the reader.
Less obvious than the symbols and metaphors, perhaps, but central to the theme, are the author’s religious faith and Roman Catholic background. Whereas The Chocolate War and Beyond the Chocolate War (1985) strikingly parallel the biblical story of Christ, similar religious elements are present in The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, but are more subtle.
In short, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway is the equal of Cormier’s best work in power, multidimensionality, engaging storytelling, and the raising of serious questions of values and ethics. Although some critics will argue that the clarity of its language, the readily understandable feelings of its characters, and the obviousness of its symbolic elements leave too little for the reader to discover, the book is nevertheless a serious work of fiction that deserves to be read widely. In structure, characterization, use of symbols and metaphors, economy of language and story, and other aspects of literary merit, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway ranks well above most works of young adult fiction.
Bibliography
Campbell, Patricia J. Presenting Robert Cormier. Boston: Twayne, 1985.
Coats, Karen. “Abjection and Adolescent Fiction.” JPCS: Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Culture & Society 5 (Fall, 2000): 290-300.
Gallo, Donald R. “Reality and Responsibility: The Continuing Controversy over Robert Cormier’s Books for Young Adults.” In The VOYA Reader. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1990.
Hyde, Margaret O. Robert Cormier. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2005.
Ishandert, Sylvia Patterson. “Readers, Realism, and Robert Cormier.” Children’s Literature 15 (1987): 7-18.
Karolides, Nicholas J., ed. Censored Books, II: Critical Viewpoints, 1985-2000. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2002.
Keeley, Jennifer. Understanding “I Am the Cheese.” San Diego: Lucent, 2001.
Myers, Mitzi. “’No Safe Place to Run To’: An Interview with Robert Cormier.” The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children’s Literature 24 (September, 2000): 445-464.
Tarr, C. Anita. “The Absence of Moral Agency in Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War.” Children’s Literature 30 (2002): 96-124.
Veglahn, Nancy. “The Bland Face of Evil in the Novels of Robert Cormier.” The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children’s Literature 2 (June 12, 1988): 12-18.