Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
**Overview of "Dicey's Song" by Cynthia Voigt**
"Dicey's Song," the second book in Cynthia Voigt's Tillerman cycle, follows the journey of Dicey Tillerman as she transitions from a challenging summer of abandonment to navigating the complexities of school and family life. Having previously endured significant hardships with her siblings—James, Sammy, and Maybeth—Dicey is now living with their grandmother, Gram, and grappling with the impacts of their turbulent past. As the new school year begins, Dicey struggles with the practicalities of education, feeling disconnected and protective of her family's anonymity.
The narrative explores Dicey’s evolving relationships with her siblings and her attempts to find her place both at school and at home. While she experiences challenges in classes like home economics and English, her interactions with teachers and new friends, such as Wilhemina Smiths, begin to foster a sense of belonging. Throughout the book, themes of resilience, family unity, and personal growth are prevalent as the Tillermans confront their shared history and learn to support one another.
Voigt's storytelling is characterized by authentic portrayals of the characters' struggles and triumphs, emphasizing the importance of familial connections and the journey of healing. "Dicey's Song" not only showcases the challenges of adolescence but also highlights the transformative power of love and understanding within a family. This award-winning novel is a poignant exploration of overcoming adversity and finding one's identity amidst the complexities of life.
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Subject Terms
Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
First published: 1982
Type of work: Domestic realism
Themes: Coming-of-age, death, education, family, friendship, and social issues
Time of work: 1980’s
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Locale: Crisfield, Maryland
Principal Characters:
Dicey Tillerman , a strong, responsible thirteen-year-old who has brought her abandoned sister and two brothers to live with their grandmotherAbigail Tillerman (Gram) , Dicey’s eccentric grandmother, whose difficult past remains a secret as she accepts the childrenJames Tillerman , Dicey’s intelligent younger brotherMaybeth Tillerman , Dicey’s musically talented but academically slow younger sisterSammy Tillerman , Dicey’s impetuous youngest brotherIsaac Lingerle , Maybeth’s music teacher who sees her potential and befriends the familyWilhemina Smiths (Mina) , Dicey’s new friendJeff Greene , Dicey’s guitar-playing friend
The Story
Dicey Tillerman’s eventful summer ends as the new school year begins. Her summer, chronicled in Homecoming (1981), was harsh because of her mother’s abandonment of her children and Dicey’s courageous journey with her younger brothers, James and Sammy, and sister, Maybeth, to their grandmother’s home. Dicey, who has matured through the difficult summer, is not ready for school. Her life is still unsettled with her determination to support her brothers and sister as they begin a life with Gram. Dicey would prefer keeping the family secluded at Gram’s while they continue to get to know one another and while she slowly restores a deteriorated sailboat, a source of personal satisfaction.
Nevertheless, they all begin school. Dicey has learned too much about life to find school practical. She does not want friends but wants to protect her anonymity. The two classes that reveal Dicey’s personality are English and home economics. Dicey does not see the value of either class, especially home economics, with its mundane emphasis on button holes, but English intrigues her because of the literary conflicts that she questions. Both of these classes remove Dicey from her family, although she constantly thinks of her family.
She believes that James, intellectually gifted, is doing well in school. The family respects him for his abilities. He shares with them what he learns through school and research. Dicey worries when Maybeth’s teacher sends extra work home because Maybeth does not learn. The teacher suggests that Maybeth is retarded. She is slow, but Dicey and the family feel differently because they sense Maybeth’s significant musical abilities. Dicey also wonders about Sammy, who, as the youngest needs his mother the most, appears to be doing well in school and has not had his usual schoolyard fights.
Dicey questions Gram’s strange, reluctant acceptance of them. Dicey knows Gram is their only means of survival as a family, yet she questions Gram, who frequently flashes angry, black looks and snaps responses to the children. As the school year progresses, Gram confides in Dicey that what appears to be well with the children is not. She and Gram determine what disturbs each child. James has shown a superb paper to them but has submitted a poor report to his teacher, wanting desperately to be his peers’ equal. Maybeth makes remarkable progress with her piano through Mr. Lingerle, who realizes her potential and befriends the family. Yet she cannot read despite all the time that Dicey and Gram study with her. Sammy, who has not fought, sits dazed in the classroom, wanting to be a “good little boy” so all will be proud of him. Dicey and Gram want Sammy to be his own, energetic self.
School is not going well for Dicey either. In home economics she knowingly puts forth a minimum effort. In English, she gives her best effort to a paper about her mother only to have the teacher publicly accuse her of plagiarism. Dicey learns that she has a friend in Wilhemina (Mina) Smiths, who stands up to the teacher in Dicey’s behalf. Dicey finally begins to allow Mina and Jeff Greene to enter her life as friends.
Life seems to improve for the Tillermans. Gram legally adopts the children. James finds an intellectual friend. Maybeth progresses in school, because James teaches her phonetic reading. Sammy gains his friends’ respect through Gram, who teaches him marbles. Dicey feels acceptance at work with her illiterate employer, friends, and Gram.
Unfortunately, they learn that their institutionalized, catatonic mother lies dying in Boston. Dicey and Gram rush to the deathbed, where they gain a deep understanding and love of each other and Dicey’s mother. At the end of Dicey’s Song, as the family buries their mother’s ashes under the tree in the yard, Dicey begins to absorb Gram’s wisdom of reaching out, holding on, and letting go. They are now a family.
Context
Dicey’s Song, which won the Newbery Medal for 1983, is the second of the seven books in the Tillerman cycle. Homecoming (1981) tells of the Tillerman children’s abandonment and journey from Massachusetts to their grandmother’s home in Maryland. A Solitary Blue (1983) highlights Jeff Greene’s acceptance of his mother’s abandonment and his growing relationship with his father. The Runner (1985) portrays the life of Samuel “Bullet” Tillerman (Dicey’s uncle who was killed in Vietnam). The Runner provides insights into the harsh life that Gram and Dicey’s mother and uncle have experienced with their cruel father John Tillerman. Come a Stranger (1986) is Mina Smiths’s progression of personally accepting being black, being female, and being her own self. Sons from Afar (1988) explains the search that James and Sammy Tillerman lead for Francis Verricker, the father who walked out on them, their sisters, and their mother many years ago. Finally, Seventeen Against the Dealer (1989), which Voigt says is the last of the Tillerman cycle, shows Dicey as a boatbuilder on her own, whose previous relationships with family and friends continue to evolve and change with the introduction of a drifter named Cisco.
Cynthia Voigt is an accomplished storyteller, whose characters live, struggle, and grow in an authentic world. Her plots are realistic yet hopeful. Voigt uses vivid descriptions not only to establish setting but also to chronicle change. She concentrates on complex family relationships and the significance of family unity and strength. All of her characters, both adult and teenager, learn and often change their lives as far as they are able. Her characters, but principally Dicey, are resilient and good people. Thus, Cynthia Voigt has earned her place as a significant writer for young people.