Stepping on the Cracks

Perhaps the most complex issue Margaret must navigate is evaluating differing perspectives about the war and reaching her own conclusion. Margaret hears one message from Elizabeth, her parents, and American society at large but receives a different message from Stuart, Donald, Barbara, and possibly even Jimmy. Problematically, both messages can be simultaneously “right.”

Mother, Elizabeth, and most of America believe that World War II is morally correct and justified. They agree that young men have the duty to serve and protect the country’s people and freedoms. This mindset creates a strong national sense of unity. Everyone supports the troops and does their part to support the war. Anyone who shirks this duty is essentially a traitor, a “coward,” or un-American. Elizabeth voices popular opinion when she says that “[I]f everyone acted like Stuart, Hitler would be in the White House” (85). Mother likewise has “no doubts” that Jimmy is doing the right thing: Jimmy’s death is terrible but righteous. Despite her suggested religiosity—she comments that wasting food is a sin and that everyone should “pray for all our boys” (128)—Mother disagrees with the biblical adage that “a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). In her eyes, a dead hero is better than a live coward.

Stuart, by contrast, believes that no war is just: War is hell. He rejects all violence and believes killing is morally wrong. He thinks that it is up to individuals to end the war through discussion and the establishment of common ground. Stuart’s zeal encourages Margaret to question the morality of the war. Margaret, like Barbara, wonders why no one stopped dictators like Hitler before the situation escalated to wholescale killing. She also sees that Stuart is not a coward but rather shows his bravery in a different way—most notably by standing up to his violent father. Barbara’s ambivalence about Butch’s medals and Donald’s blunt letter describing the reality of war also contribute to Margaret’s understanding. She ultimately wonders if Jimmy and other soldiers feel the same way: “Was the war like that for everybody in Europe?” (112)

In light of the differing opinions and input she receives, Margaret reevaluates her own preconceptions about the war and reaches a decision. Although she realizes that “There [is] no answer, no firm ground to stand on” given her and Mother’s seemingly contradictory beliefs (206), Margaret is sure about her decision to aid Stuart. Jimmy’s death solidifies her opinion—as it does her mother’s. Since Margaret is the protagonist, the novel inevitably leans somewhat towards her own assessment of the war; however, it also emphasizes that those who disagree with her have good reasons for doing so.

This quote, variously attributed to Roman Emperor Sigismund and Abraham Lincoln, captures the essence of Stuart’s beliefs and shines a light on the girls’ relationship with Gordy. Friendship is an important theme in Stepping on the Cracks. Hahn shows that friends can sometimes be less than friendly, while enemies can become unlikely friends. This ambiguity shapes the relationships between Margaret, Elizabeth, and Gordy; on a greater scale, it also shapes the relationships between the soldiers at war. As Margaret matures, she recognizes that friendship and enmity are complicated.

Elizabeth and Margaret are best friends, but their friendship is fraught with fights and tears. Elizabeth pushes Margaret around and mocks her for her timidity, using their friendship as leverage to get Margaret to take part in schemes like busting up the boys’ hut. Margaret defers to Elizabeth’s heavy-handed leadership. Her comment that their “war with Gordy had given Elizabeth a real enemy” suggests that Margaret had previously borne the brunt of Elizabeth’s aggression (59).

Margaret’s remark also establishes the girls’ adversarial relationship with Gordy. The girls frame Gordy as someone “worse than a Nazi” and view their conflict with him as their own personal version of the war (19); Elizabeth even describes her plan to destroy the boys’ hut as “our D day” (51). These comments dehumanize Gordy and allow the girls to feel morally superior to him and justified in their hatred. Elizabeth, especially, does not entertain much sympathy for Gordy. Margaret, more empathetic, notes, “If I’d liked him, I would’ve been worried about him” (77); however, their relationship with Gordy doesn’t truly change until they discover the extent of his abusive homelife and decide to help Stuart. Gordy, though still hot-tempered, aggressive, and off-putting, becomes more human in their eyes. When the girls recognize that Gordy is not much different from them—he loves Stuart and his family as much as they love theirs—he ceases to be a two-dimensional enemy and almost becomes a friend. This new understanding coincides with Margaret’s growing independence.

Stuart’s influence underpins these changes. Using the Tomas Hardy poem, Stuart helps the girls see that their enemies—at home and abroad—are no different from them. Stuart explains of enemy soldiers, “They don’t want to kill me any more than I want to kill them” (81). Enemies therefore have the potential to be friends. Both Stuart and Hardy suggest that the war invents enemies by fabricating animosity, and that the common man is the victim of this ideology.

Just as Margaret agrees with Stuart that the issue of enemy soldiers is “complicated,” she learns that friendship can be complicated but invaluable. As she matures and gains self-confidence, she becomes more of an equal with Elizabeth. Elizabeth supports Margaret’s idea for helping Stuart and offers quiet support during Margaret’s grief for her brother. Throughout the life-changing events they experience, the girls’ friendship endures and strengthens.

Over the course of the novel Margaret transitions from shy “scaredy-cat” to thoughtful preteen. She learns that adults are fallible and that foundational childhood beliefs are not absolute. This new knowledge, coupled with the harsh reality check and grief of losing Jimmy, helps Margaret develop her own moral code. She begins to distinguish herself from her family and forges a less submissive role in her friendship with Elizabeth.

Prior to discovering Stuart, Margaret was content in the safety her parents and Jimmy provided. This was not simply a physical safety but a moral one: As long as she accepted what the adults around her told her was true and right, Margaret did not have to take responsibility for her choices. However, finding Stuart and learning about Gordy make Margaret doubt her uncritical acceptance of social norms. She forms opinions that differ from those of her mother and society at large, and she accepts the consequences of the actions she takes based on her new understandings.

As Margaret forges her own beliefs, she discovers that even adults she has looked up to for years, like Barbara and her mother, are imperfect. Barbara is initially unsure how to look after Stuart. Mother has ignored Mr. Smith’s abuse for years. Daddy keeps his emotions bottled up, and Margaret feels unable to talk with him. Mr. Crawford cannot keep Mr. Smith in jail, and Mrs. Smith will not act against her husband. Soldiers keep dying, and adults do not have the solution to that either.

Margaret realizes she is growing up. She is no longer the small “Princess Maggie May” in Jimmy’s pictures (15). She now has adult cares and decisions to make. The transition is painful, involving loss and loss of innocence, but as much as Margaret wishes that she “could be a little kid again” (190), she recognizes that she is changing. Her mother’s inability to recognize this frustrates her, providing further evidence that adults aren’t always right.

Other characters also demonstrate a transition from a state of comparative innocence to experience. The varied mementos in Barbara’s room reveal how close she still is in age to her high school days. The death of Butch, the birth of her child, and her decision to help Stuart all propel Barbara into adulthood. Young servicemen like Donald and Jimmy realize that their youthful enthusiasm and patriotism will not shelter them from the harsh reality of war. Jimmy’s wartime sketchbook documents this process, as innocent playful illustrations turn “scary.” More than any other factor, the war forces characters to make difficult ethical decisions, leaving the innocence of youth behind.