What happens in Chapter 2 of Walk Two Moons?
Chapter 2 opens with thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle riding cross-country with her grandparents, Gram and Gramps, from Euclid, Ohio, to Lewiston, Idaho. To make the long trip more enjoyable, Sal agrees to share the story of her friend Phoebe Winterbottom — a tale Gram has been eager to hear. Before diving into the story, Sal introduces Phoebe as someone who experiences "exciting and terrible things," setting the stage for some drama. Sal also casually mentions that her mother left for Lewiston and never returned — the same place they are heading to now. Gram and Gramps listen with warm, loving attention, calling Sal their "chickabiddy," a nickname that highlights the affection in this road trip. This chapter is short but crucial: it introduces the nested-narrative structure (Sal’s story within the journey), hints at the mystery of the absent mother, and creates a sense of safety and intimacy in the moving car where the more painful outer story will unfold.
Analysis
Sharon Creech's craft in Chapter 2 revolves around controlled withholding. Although the chapter is barely three pages long, it does a lot of structural work by embedding one journey within another—Sal narrating Phoebe's story while she physically travels toward her own grief. This mise en abyme hints to observant readers that the two narratives will reflect each other before they come together.
The grandparents' nickname "chickabiddy" serves a dual purpose: it adds a touch of folksy warmth while subtly infantilizing Sal, reminding us that she is a child shouldering an adult burden. Creech's tone here is deceptively light—the car banter feels almost comedic—but the casual mention of Sal's mother hits hard, like a stone dropped into still water. The sentence comes without any fanfare, which is exactly the point; Sal has learned to refer to her mother's absence the way one might talk about the weather.
The road itself becomes a recurring motif throughout the novel: forward motion as a way to confront what can't be faced directly. Sal can only journey toward Lewiston by looking sideways, into Phoebe's story. Creech also starts to weave the novel's central theme—the gap between what people show and what they carry—through Phoebe's introduction as someone to whom "exciting and terrible things" happened, a phrase that intertwines wonder and pain. The chapter's short length is a deliberate choice: it keeps the reader engaged and eager for the story that is just beginning to unfold.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 2
- chickabiddy
- A term of endearment used by grandparents or older relatives for a young child, similar to 'little one' or 'sweetheart.' In this text it is Gram's affectionate nickname for Sal.