Team Uniform Symbol
Jessica's uniform for the track team is much more to her than a thin tank and shorts. It is a symbol of everything that she loves about running. It symbolizes all the victories, the defeats, the camaraderie with her team. If symbolizes every time she ran, all the practice that earned her a place on the team. It is a symbol of her identity both to others and to herself.
Different Abilities versus Disabilities Motif
Throughout the novel, there is a motif that deals with the juxtaposition of disabilities and different abilities. The main example of this is of course Jessica; she is a star track athlete, and for a while, after the accident, she feels that she is only seen as a girl with a disability by her peers. After persevering, though, she learns that she still has the same abilities, but they need to be utilized slightly differently, and she returns to running with her prosthetic leg.
Rosa is another example of a person with a disability who is rather a person with different abilities. She suffers from cerebral palsy, which confines her to a wheelchair, yet she is uniquely brilliant and able at academic subjects, particularly math. After her accident, Jessica grows determined to show others that they should look at disabled people in exactly the same way that they look at able-bodied people because they all have different abilities that might not be evident until you get to know them.
River Run Symbol
Jessica decides to participate in the ten mile river run, and to push Rosa in her wheelchair for the entire race so that they can share the experience together. This is a symbol of Jessica's maturity and the way she has grown as a person. Despite her excitement about returning to running, she does not lose sight of the importance of her friendship with Rosa and the fact that they are going to take part together symbolizes her commitment to the friendship moving forward. The fact that she is now thinking of others as well as herself in a way that she never did before shows that she has matured and grown as a person during her experiences.
The Importance of Focus Motif
Throughout the novel, there are examples of the importance of keeping your eyes on the prize; the motif of focus is shown primarily through Jessica, but also through the members of her track team as well, in that they know they have an uphill battle to fundraise for her running prosthetic, but they continue to fundraise until they achieve their goal.
Jessica knows that it is unlikely that she will run again, but she pushes her body to do so anyway. She has had a goal of being a runner since she was a small child and she is not about to give this up. She keeps focused on the end goal, and perseveres with learning to walk again, learning how to use her running prosthetic and ultimately finding that not only can she run again but that she still has just the same passion for it.
The Importance of Teamwork Motif
Teamwork makes the dream work; this idea is extremely evident in the novel. Jessica is dedicated to her track team and they are not only a team, or a group of friends, but they are also in many ways a family. Jessica would not be able get her prosthetic for running without Team Jessica behind her. The track team stood by her and also fundraised for her prosthetic. Her friends and family acted as both protectors and cheer squad, enabling her to work through her trauma and also encouraging her to go for her goals. Kids at school also join the team, for example, writing articles for the newspaper and getting the local news channel involved. Without support of friends and family Jessica would not be able to become a runner again, and this shows she is still part of the track team even when she is not actually running herself.
