What happens in Chapter 21 of Walk Two Moons?
Chapter 21, "Souls," follows Sal as she continues her road trip across the country with her grandparents, weaving in the ongoing tale of Phoebe Winterbottom. In this chapter, Sal describes the moment when Phoebe's mother, Mrs. Winterbottom, finds a second mysterious message at their doorstep that reads, "Everyone has his own agenda." At the same time, Phoebe becomes more convinced that the strange young man who showed up at their door is linked to her mother's odd behavior and growing distance. As they drive, Gram and Gramps take a break at a roadside attraction, where Gram's childlike awe at the scenery stands in stark contrast to Sal's inner sorrow. Sal thinks about her mother's departure and starts to see the connection between Phoebe's fear of losing her mother and her own unresolved grief. The chapter subtly shifts as Sal realizes she's been using Phoebe's story to work through her own — a narrative reflection she is just beginning to recognize. The two storylines intertwine more closely here, with Sal's voice balancing the joy of the journey and the heaviness of unspoken feelings about her mother.
Analysis
Sharon Creech's skill in "Souls" shines through her use of embedded narratives to convey emotional displacement. Since Sal struggles to talk openly about her mother, she discusses Phoebe instead—Creech makes this substitution a structural choice rather than a random one. The mysterious notes left at the Winterbottom door serve as a motif for confusing adult behavior: messages that appear without senders and meaning without context, mirroring the silence left by Sal's mother. The title, "Souls," hints at deeper themes. Creech approaches each character not just as a function of the plot but as someone with an inner life that others frequently misunderstand.
The tonal shifts are expertly handled. The road-trip scenes with Gram and Gramps embody Creech's signature warmth—Gram's enthusiasm comes across with affection rather than condescension—but Sal's inner thoughts cast shadows over every joyful moment. This layering of tones is a hallmark of Creech's writing throughout the novel: comedy and grief coexist in the same sentence without negating each other.
The chapter also propels the novel's key theme of journeys as acts of reckoning. Sal is physically heading toward her mother's grave, and each mile also represents an inward psychological journey. Creech avoids sentimentality by keeping Sal's narration straightforward and observational, even at the most emotionally charged moments—a restraint that makes the rare displays of deep feeling resonate powerfully.
Key quotes from Chapter 21
“Everyone has his own agenda.”
The second anonymous note left on the Winterbottom doorstep, which Phoebe reads aloud — a line that unsettles her precisely because it seems to accuse without naming anyone.
“In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?”
Gram's recurring refrain during the road trip, offered here as gentle philosophy, though Sal registers it with a complicated mix of comfort and resistance.
“I wondered if Phoebe's mother had a private self that was completely different from her public one.”
Sal's narration as she reflects on Mrs. Winterbottom's hidden life — a thought that doubles back unmistakably onto Sal's own mother.
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- souls
- The inner spiritual or emotional essence of a person, distinct from the body. In this text the word is used to explore deep personal identity and what makes each person who they are.