What happens in Chapter 14 of Walk Two Moons?
Chapter 14, "The Rhododendron," continues the novel's dual-narrative structure as Sal picks up Phoebe's story again, sharing it with her grandparents during their drive across the country. Phoebe's worry about her mother's odd behavior grows as Mrs. Winterbottom seems increasingly distracted and emotionally unavailable. At the same time, Sal quietly draws a comparison between Phoebe's troubled home life and her own hidden sorrow over her mother Chanhassen's departure. The chapter is named after a rhododendron bush in Phoebe's yard, which Sal notices is in bloom—this detail adds a sensory element to the scene and highlights the chapter's focus on things that seem vibrant and flourishing on the outside while hiding deeper issues underneath. Sal also thinks about her grandmother Gram's joy in the ever-changing landscape outside the car window, bringing the reader back to the present journey. The blending of Phoebe's domestic struggles and Sal's own repressed longing for her mother provides the chapter with emotional depth, gradually guiding the story toward the revelations that both girls are unknowingly approaching.
Analysis
Sharon Creech uses Chapter 14 to deepen the novel's central theme of hiding beneath beauty. The rhododendron—vibrant, blooming, and seemingly thriving—serves as a symbol for both Mrs. Winterbottom and, by extension, Sal's own mother: visibly present but emotionally absent. Creech's skill here lies in her restraint; she avoids over-explaining the symbol, allowing the reader to sense its significance through gradual buildup.
The chapter's tonal structure is also noteworthy. Sal's narration swings between the warmth of Gram's roadside marvel and the underlying tension of Phoebe's household, with Creech managing these shifts smoothly—each transition is softened by Sal's dry, observant voice. This voice itself is a deliberate choice: Sal's ironic detachment from Phoebe's situation acts as a protective measure, allowing her to narrate another's grief without facing her own.
Creech further develops the novel's focus on messages and signs. Phoebe's tendency to find meaning in everyday objects reflects Sal's own tendency to mythologize her mother's absence. Both girls are, in essence, trying to impose order on their experiences. The chapter subtly suggests that this is a characteristic of grief—it transforms the ordinary into something requiring interpretation. Thus, the rhododendron is more than just a plant; it embodies the novel's core argument: that living entities can flourish and disappear simultaneously.
Key quotes from Chapter 14
“Everything was blooming like crazy, and it seemed mean, somehow, that the world could look so cheerful.”
Sal observes the rhododendron in full bloom outside Phoebe's house, her unease sharpening the contrast between natural vitality and domestic tension.
“Phoebe kept looking at her mother as if she expected her to disappear at any moment.”
Sal narrates Phoebe's watchful anxiety during a family scene, a line that doubles as an unconscious echo of Sal's own vigilance toward her absent mother.
“Gram pressed her nose against the car window and said she could smell the flowers right through the glass.”
Back in the present-tense road-trip frame, Gram's sensory delight offers a brief tonal counterweight to the grief threading through Sal's story.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 14
- rhododendron
- A flowering shrub with large, showy blooms that grows in clusters. In this text it carries emotional significance connected to Sal's mother and her departure.