Powerless

The events of Chapters 12 and 13 introduce the rising action and escalating danger as the Shroud closes in. Mollie’s observation that Simon is missing more memories than previous supers makes her conclude the Shroud is stealing powers knowingly and intentionally. This suggests Plunkett stepped up his game with Simon to send a message to the kids and to make them dislike Eric even more once he tricked them into believing Eric was the Shroud. Plunkett’s actions are more evidence of his villainous nature. As Plunkett closes in on his goal, he does more damage. He doesn’t care that, by doing so, he has robbed a child of their memories and part of who they are. He only cares that his increased threat is received and responded to in the way he wants—namely, Eric coming to find him. The confrontation in Chapter 13 exemplifies how Daniel embodies The Meaning of Heroism. Daniel has no powers, but he still takes on the Shroud to help and protect Mollie. The Shroud’s response to Daniel being a regular boy is both foreshadowing and an example of villainous threats. The Shroud knows the words will unsettle Daniel and make him question himself. The line also speaks to how Daniel is special in his own way, even though he doesn’t have powers.

The death of Daniel’s grandmother serves both as tension for Daniel as well as the catalyst for him discovering the truth about Plunkett. From the beginning, Daniel’s grandmother has been a foil for the current supers. While the kids are young and strong in separate ways, Daniel’s grandmother is older and ill. Daniel later discovers his grandmother was once a super; however, the fact that she had powers in her past cannot keep her from aging, becoming sick, and dying. Her death also speaks to how there are some things no amount of power can change. Daniel is smart and good at working out puzzles, and his friends have super speed, strength, and other gifts. However, none of these things could stop death or illness from claiming Daniel’s grandmother‘s life. The kids may be powerful, but they are only powerful in the specific ways they have been gifted, and those powers don’t translate to strength or magical abilities in other areas.

Chapter 15 is a transitional chapter for Daniel as he struggles with Acceptance Versus Resistance in the face of tragedy. At the beginning of the chapter, Daniel is buried in grief. He is frustrated and sad that he couldn’t help his grandmother, which calls back to his frustration over not being able to save Simon from the Shroud. Together, these incidents show how grief compounds. The death of Daniel’s grandmother has little to do with the Shroud and the danger facing the supers. However, Daniel equates this grief to losing Simon, which makes him want to distance himself from the supers, both because he feels like he failed them and because helping them doesn’t seem to matter in the wake of losing his grandmother. The conversation with Eric in the second half of the chapter reminds Daniel that the supers are kids like him, despite their powers. Eric’s dad died years ago, meaning Eric understands what Daniel is going through at this moment. That shared experience helps Daniel understand that helping his friends with their powers does more than keep them from losing their abilities. It also keeps them from losing memories and pieces of who they are. Since Daniel feels like he’s lost a part of himself with his grandmother’s death, his desire to keep his friends safe is renewed.

The portrayal of Daniel’s complex relationship with Eric in Chapters 16 through 19 delves into themes of trust, jealousy, and the nuanced understanding of heroism within the narrative. After sharing understanding and confidences with Eric, Daniel is deeply hurt at the idea Eric is a villain, and Mollie’s and Rohan’s responses show that they are similarly indebted to Eric’s kindness and understanding. Chapter 16 also shows the complex feelings Daniel has toward Eric. Though Daniel feels a kinship with the other boy, Daniel is also jealous of him, which is what allows him to believe Eric is the Shroud in the first place. The events of Chapter 18 serve to make Eric look guilty and suggest he is hiding something. Eric’s room looks similar to the room of any 12-year-old boy, except for a map displaying all the locations where Eric has felt he did something good or heroic. This map is also a hiding place for the missing comics, though it is unclear if Eric intentionally put them there or if the Shroud somehow hid them. Eric’s map marking his heroic acts reveals how his character understands The Meaning of Heroism: as something that can be quantified and recorded. His interpretation of heroism is deeply bound to his fear of losing his powers, for he believes that if he does enough good, his powers won’t be taken away. In this way, the map is a further symbol of the damage Plunkett and his deceptive rules have done to the supers, highlighting the internal struggle they face as they grapple with the fear of losing their powers.