Stella

McCall Hoyle

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-17

Chapters 18-21

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Teeter-Totter

The teeter-totter that Cloe encourages Stella to walk on symbolizes Stella’s fear and trauma. When Stella first arrives at Esperanza and Cloe’s house, she is terrified of the teeter-totter. This is because it makes a loud noise when it falls to the ground, reminding her of the traumatic explosion at the airport. She is so scared that she has to curl up with Cloe for comfort. Cloe does not push Stella farther than she can handle, but she does encourage her to face her fears. The primary way she does this is with the teeter-totter. She uses treats to slowly encourage the dog to go farther on the teeter-totter. At one point, she convinces Stella to get all four legs on the teeter-totter, but then Stella panics. Cloe understands this and does not want to further traumatize Cloe so she holds the teeter-totter so it will not make a loud noise, and then she lifts Stella off and comforts her. After Stella saves Cloe from the fire, Stella has much more confidence. It is at this point that she finally overcomes her fear and walks all the way across the teeter-totter.

The choice to use a teeter-totter to represent Stella’s fears is significant because it mirrors the way Cloe bonds with Stella. A teeter-totter is a toy, and Cloe’s bonding with Stella involves frequent playing. The characters in the novel talk about how important play is for building bonding between animals and people. By using a teeter-totter to symbolize Stella’s fear, McCall Hoyle emphasizes the importance of play and bonding in Stella’s healing from trauma. This symbol is key in developing the book’s theme of The Importance of Overcoming Fears.

Vern’s Chained-up Dog

Vern’s chained-up dog symbolizes his general attitude of disrespect for animals. Esperanza and Stella do not confine any of their animals any more than they need to. There is no reason given for Vern’s dog being tied up. This is consistent with the rest of Vern’s attitudes toward animals, as he warns Esperanza that her dogs will be killed if they come on his property. He does not respect people or animals, including his own dog.

The novel is told from the perspective of a dog, and as such, kindness toward animals—or lack thereof—is a focal point throughout the narrative. Vern’s key function as a static antagonist is to cause trouble for Esperanza, Stella, and Cloe. He only appears a few times in the novel, so the chained-up dog helps to demonstrate his main character traits. A key theme in the novel is that The Bond Between Humans and Animals is important. As the antagonist, Vern goes against this theme.

Charlotte’s Web

The classic book Charlotte’s Web, which Cloe reads to Stella, represents numerous themes in Stella. First it illustrates the theme of animals helping each other and humans helping them. In Charlotte’s Web, Fern, a child, is sad when she learns that her pig, Wilbur, is about to be killed. Wilbur is upset about this too, and he employs the help of a spider, Charlotte, to save his life. Similarly, in Stella, Cloe does not want Stella to be killed. If Stella is killed, it will be an act of euthanasia due to the trauma she experienced during the explosion. Just as Wilbur is saved by Charlotte, Stella is saved by Cloe. Cloe saves Stella by giving her a safe place to learn who she is and to rediscover her bravery.

Charlotte’s Web also symbolizes some of Cloe’s key character traits of Cloe. She is the one who chooses this book to read, which represents her love for animals. Without this love, she would not have had the patience to help Stella and try to understand her. Her reading this book also illustrates her ability to comfort Stella because Stella loves being read to, even though she does not understand the words.

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

8,800+ In-Depth Study Guides
4,700+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
Downloadable PDFs

Charlotte’s Web further symbolizes the communication problems that exist between people and animals. Wilbur cannot communicate directly with people because he does not speak their language. He can, however, work together with other animals to communicate with humans, something Stella cannot do with the other animals she encounters. Wilbur overcomes his communication issues through Charlotte, who is able to make words with her silk. Stella is unable to communicate with humans until a police officer explains seizure-sniffing dogs to Esperanza, putting her behavior throughout the book in a context Esperanza can understand.