The Red Pencil

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

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. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-32

Part 1, Chapters 33-79

Part 2, Chapters 80-112

Part 2, Chapters 113-145

Part 2, Chapters 146-180

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

The Red Pencil

The most important symbol in The Red Pencil is the titular red pencil. The red pencil is introduced in the second part of the novel, brought to Amira by Miss Sabine, a worker with Sudan Relief. As an object, it functions as a tool for Amira to express her creativity and imagination—directly replacing the twig that she used to draw sand-pictures back on the farm. By contrasting the pencil with the twig, the former calls to the theme of Resilience and Growth in the Face of Change. Already dealing with trauma and a place vastly different from home, Amira initially resists using the pencil so different from her twig. However, she eventually learns to draw and write with it, the confidence she gains in the process inspiring her decision to leave Kalma for the Gad Primary School in Nyala.

The red pencil also symbolizes the healing power of art. Amira relives the trauma of the Janjaweed attack through illustrations she draws using the pencil. Gamal does something similar with his own pencil and yellow pad. Both Amira and Gamal begin to heal through this process; the former even rediscovers her voice.

The image of the red pencil is deeply intertwined with the twig in multiple ways. Both objects serve the same function at different points in Amira’s life—as a tool with which to explore her natural creativity and imagination. However, the red pencil can also be seen as a necessary evolution that catalyzes Amira’s journey. Dando’s gift of the twig was only ever used to draw sand-pictures; while Dando was supportive of Amira’s dreams, he was hesitant to encourage them in the face of Muma’s disapproval. It is with the red pencil (and Old Anwar’s lessons) that Amira learns to write. Old Anwar stands up to Muma for Amira and her desire to learn; he also accompanies her on her journey to Nyala, hoping to keep her safe. An evolution of the primitive twig, the red pencil provides a way for Amira to leave behind limitations and aspire for a brighter future.

The Sparrow

The sparrow continually symbolizes Amira’s spirit that longs to fly free, like a bird, as well as her voice. The image of the sparrow captures Dando’s support of Amira; when Dando throws her up into the air and calls her “Amira Bright,” she feels like she can fly.

As Amira gets comfortable with the red pencil and begins to draw on paper, she feels the sparrow inside her urging her to ignore the blue lines of the yellow pad and let her creativity loose; this indicates the resilience of her spirit. Similarly, when Amira feels her voice returning, it is depicted as her inner sparrow stirring and trying to cry out. Finally, when Amira leaves Kalma at the end of the novel, her sense of freedom is portrayed as a sparrow: She imagines herself as the bird, flying high with her gaze fixed on better horizons. The novel’s accompanying illustration depicts Amira with wings, thus completing her transformation from caged bird to freed sparrow.

Sudanese Flowers

The “Sudanese flowers” are Amira’s reimagining of the bits of litter strewn across Kalma. She imagines these scraps as resilient “flowers” that blossom everywhere at the camp, irrespective of rain or sun. The flowers are deemed native to Sudan (“Sudanese”), owing their presence to the camp’s displaced people; people fleeing their homes because of the Janjaweed was a prevalent issue in Sudan during the time period of the novel.

The “Sudanese flowers” symbolize a number of things. Amira notes how these “flowers” are the only thing that grows at Kalma. This points to how adversity and suffering are the only outcomes of war; nothing else grows, literally or metaphorically, on infertile, stagnant land. When Amira regains her voice and ability to hope again, she begins to view the things in her life through a different, brighter lens; she sketches the multicolored scraps of litter as blossoms hanging onto fences. However, Amira’s rediscovered positivity is still unable to escape reality; she suffers a nightmare in which she is suffocated by a rainfall of “Sudanese flowers.” This is Amira’s wake-up call, a reminder that nothing but trash can grow at Kalma. She realizes that if she stays, she will turn into a “Sudanese flower” herself—and this hastens her decision to leave for Nyala.