Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
"Tiger Eyes" is a poignant young adult novel by Judy Blume that explores themes of grief, family dynamics, and personal growth. The story follows Davey Wexler, a teenager coping with the devastating loss of her father, who was murdered during a robbery. After this tragic event, Davey, her mother Gwendolyn, and her brother Jason relocate to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to live with relatives. The novel contrasts the carefree life Davey had in Atlantic City with the challenges she faces in her new environment, including her mother's emotional struggles and the overprotective nature of their relatives.
As Davey navigates her grief, she finds solace in the friendship of a boy named Wolf. Their connection helps her confront her feelings and remember her father as a loving presence rather than just a memory overshadowed by loss. Through these interactions, Davey begins to understand the complexities of life and death, allowing her to start healing. "Tiger Eyes" is notable for its realistic portrayal of adolescent issues, providing a space for readers to reflect on personal challenges without offering simplistic answers. This book, while not humorous like some of Blume's earlier works, resonates with young adults seeking to engage with serious life topics, making it a respected piece of literature in the genre.
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Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
First published: 1981
Type of work: Social realism
Themes: Death, family, friendship, social issues, and race and ethnicity
Time of work: The 1970’s
Recommended Ages: 13-15
Locale: Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Los Alamos, New Mexico
Principal Characters:
Davey Wexler , the fifteen-year-old narratorAdam Wexler , her fatherGwendolyn Wexler , her mother, who suffers a nervous breakdown after Adam’s deathJason Wexler , her seven-year-old brotherBitsey and Walter Kronick , her overprotective aunt and uncleMartin “Wolf” Ortiz , who has come home from college to Los Alamos to be with his dying father
The Story
Tiger Eyes is a book of contrasts, of varying views of reality. Before her father’s death, Davey Wexler spends her free time with friends on the beach and the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Adam Wexler is a trusting parent who paints portraits and listens to classical music. After he is shot and killed during a robbery of his 7-Eleven store, Davey, her mother (Gwendolyn), and her brother (Jason) move to the desert community of Los Alamos, New Mexico, to live with Bitsy and Walter Kronick. After learning that the 7-Eleven has again been robbed, Gwendolyn suffers a nervous breakdown. The Kronicks assume the role of well-meaning but overprotective parents to Davey and Jason. Walter Kronick is a nuclear weapons engineer at the laboratory where the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan had been developed during World War II.
Jason seems to adjust well to his new family. Bitsy teaches him to cook, and Davey wonders whether he could support them in New Jersey selling his cookies on the boardwalk. Davey, however, does not fare so well. Walter will not let her go skiing because it is too dangerous, and he will not let her take driver’s training in school because automobile accidents are a leading cause of death among teenagers.
In order to get away from the overprotective Kronicks and to understand her anger and frustration in the wake of her father’s death, Davey escapes to a beautiful canyon. Here she meets Martin Ortiz, who introduces himself only as Wolf. She introduces herself to him as Tiger. He sees and comments on her sad eyes but does not force her to talk; instead, they make each other laugh. It is only after meeting and hiking together several times that Davey tells Wolf that her dad has died, and he tells her that his is dying. The hikes into the canyon and Wolf’s friendship begin to replace walks on the beach with friends in New Jersey.
Wolf has come back to Los Alamos from college in California to be with his dying father, a man Davey has befriended at the hospital where she volunteers as a candy striper. Mr. Ortiz has earned his living working as a maintenance man at the laboratory where Walter Kronick is an engineer. While Los Alamos has one of the highest numbers of Ph.D.’s per capita of any town in the United States, most of the engineers are Anglo, while those who clean and run errands are Hispanic.
One day Davey finds Wolf in Mr. Ortiz’s room and learns that they are father and son. A few days later Mr. Ortiz dies, and Wolf leaves town. He leaves her a note telling her to remember Mr. Ortiz as a man full of life and love. Davey begins to understand that that is the way she must remember her own father, as a man full of life and love. Wolf promises to meet Davey again in the canyon “cuando los larartijos corren”—when the lizards run, in the spring. It is through Wolf and his father that Davey begins to accept the death of her own father.
Gwendolyn Wexler, through the help of counseling and the care of the Kronicks, also recovers and begins to take charge of her own and her children’s lives. She takes a job at the laboratory and begins to date. Finally, she decides to take her family back to Atlantic City. A few weeks before they leave, she explains to Davey why she was not able to be a parent: She had been afraid that Davey would ask questions about her father’s death and that those questions would hurt too much. Gwendolyn now feels ready to talk about her husband’s death. Davey says, “But now I don’t need to.”
Context
Realism for young adult readers can be traced back to 1967 and the publication of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Up to that time it had been generally believed that fiction for young readers should be humorous and have happy endings. Kenneth Donelson and Alleen Nilsen make the case that young adult readers use novels with realistic problems to examine issues that cannot be so closely examined in real life. While few experience the loss of a parent during their teenage years, and fewer yet suffer the loss in the tragic way Davey does in Tiger Eyes, some do, and all know of someone who has.
Judy Blume has written books for all age groups. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Blubber (1974), and Superfudge (1980) were written for younger children and are full of humor. Tiger Eyes, however, is not the least bit humorous. Blume knows and respects her audiences. She knows that younger readers respond to humor, but she also knows that her young adult audience is able to explore serious matters in serious ways.
For her honesty, some have found Blume controversial, and her books have been attacked by censors. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) has been attacked because it explores a girl’s thoughts as her body changes during puberty. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Tiger Eyes both draw readers in to identify with the problems that face the two protagonists. Davey in Tiger Eyes is not a heroic character. She comes through a crisis in her family life, and like others, many others, she is able to go on with her life.
Blume makes no judgments; believing that there is more than one answer to most questions, she does not offer simple solutions. She lets readers come to their own conclusions about social issues. Because of this approach, the books written by Judy Blume will continue to be popular with young adult readers.
Bibliography
Blume, Judy. “Places I Never Meant to Be: A Personal View.” American Libraries 30 (1999): 62-67.
Garber, Stephen. “Judy Blume: New Classicism for Kids.” English Journal 73 (April 1984): 56-59.
Gleasner, Diana. Breakthrough: Women in Writing. New York: Walker, 1980.
Lee, Betsy. Judy Blume’s Story. Minneapolis: Dillon Press, 1981.
Naylor, Alice Phoebe, and Carol Wintercorn. “Judy Blume.” In American Writers for Children Since 1960: Fiction, edited by Glenn Estes. Vol. 52 in Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Bruccoli Clark, 1986.
Weidt, Maryann. Presenting Judy Blume. Boston: Twayne, 1990.