Essay Questions

Why does Daniel fly into Alice's room after his first flight?

Daniel has just flown for the first time and no one can find him. Alice goes home and when she closes the door Daniel is there. He is in love with her and shows her that he can actually fly without the wings. He does this in order to bond them together in his secret.

Why does Richard read Great Air Disasters?

Richard reads the book Great Air Disasters in order to learn more about flying, a subject that he isn't particularly interested in. But, he does so in an attempt to understand Daniel better, and by doing this he is actively showing Daniel that he is his friend. He doesn't act like the other boys and make fun of Daniel without trying to get to know him better, this shows he truly cares for his friend.

What's the meaning of Daniel going back to see Mrs. Rice?

Roughly 20 years after Daniel leaves home, he returns and one of the places he goes is to his grade school, where he visits his teacher Mrs. Rice. She is writing on the board and believes Daniel is Stalky Peters, a young student of hers who believes he is shrinking. Why this scene is important is that she told Daniel years ago that he couldn't fly, and now he flies. His presences there resembles the fact that many adults hold down the dreams of children because the adult hasn't experienced what the child knows is fact in their own life, therefore because they have never experienced it it cannot be true for anyone.