The Schwa Was Here

Names play an important role in The Schwa Was Here, showing how Antsy and the Schwa perceive themselves, and how others perceive—or do not perceive—them. Names link individuals to their family and culture and contribute to one’s sense of self.

Antsy’s childhood nickname grew out of a shortening of his full name, “Anthony,” and in some ways, mirrors the shortening of the Schwa’s last name from Schwartz to Schwa. Like their names, both boys feel diminished, or less important than other people. Antsy introduces himself to the Schwa as Anthony but accepts that most people call him Antsy. The Schwa introduces himself as Calvin, and wants to be called by his first name, but everyone calls him the Schwa. The Schwa’s name also gets meaning from its phonetic namesake. Both boys are saddled with nicknames they feel do not fully express their identity, so names can negatively impact one’s sense of self.

Only Lexie calls both boys by their first names, revealing that she sees them as unique individuals. Antsy feels more mature when people call him Anthony though he shows that his coming of age has drawbacks. When he worries that Mom and Dad are getting a divorce, Antsy says that Dad “called him Anthony instead of Antsy, and for some reason that just made me cry even more” (143). Dad and Mom call Antsy by his given name after the family upset, showing they also feel he is leaving his childhood behavior, and childhood name, behind. The Schwa signs his final letter to Antsy as Calvin, asserting his identity again, this time with confidence. His letter and photo suggest he is happy and secure in his identity.

Names can also activate cultural prejudice. When he fractures his hip, Mr. Crawley calls Antsy a racial slur based on his Italian heritage. Lexie explains that her parents hate Antsy because “They’re convinced anyone with the last name Bonano has to have Mafia ties” (225). Names can foster misconceptions and discrimination.

Neal Shusterman also uses names to convey humor and irony. Readers can only envision a warthog when Antsy describes his science teacher, Mr. Werthog. The names for Mr. Crawley’s Afghan hounds are based on the seven deadly sins and seven holy virtues. As Antsy describes some of the dogs escaping Mr. Crawley’s room, he mentions “Prudence—who was always a loose cannon—” (113). Prudence, comically, does not embody the common sense and good judgment suggested by her virtuous name.

Paperclips fasten things like papers and photographs together. In the novel, paperclips symbolize small but critical components that hold even bigger intangible things together, like family. The Schwa’s paperclip collection started with the clip that held his mom’s missing person’s report together. It is the only physical memento that connects the Schwa to his mom. Antsy holds that paperclip reverently, knowing “that paper clip was the most valuable thing I’d ever held in my life” (151). It signifies the Schwa’s single tenuous bond with his mom. It is also the Schwa’s proof that she existed, and by extension, that he exists.

The Schwa’s paperclip collection also reflects his under-the-radar identity. People rarely notice a paperclip, but instead focus on the more important items that it holds together. A paperclip makes Antsy think of the Schwa; he comments, “only something that small, that unnoticeable, could remind me of the Schwa” (144). Though vital and useful, the paperclip is ordinary, unobserved, and undervalued—until it is gone.

Antsy feels like he is “the family paper clip,” the unnoticed glue holding things together by keeping his parents’ arguments from escalating (107). When he quits diverting their squabbles, he feels guilty, thinking he has irreparably damaged the family dynamic, saying, “The clip is gone […] The pages are flying like confetti. What a moron I am” (108). In asserting his personality in the family and telling the truth, Antsy stops being the invisible connector. The Schwa connects his last letter to Antsy to the happy photograph of his mom with a special paperclip that Antsy knows has been in space, suggesting that the Schwa and his mom are united, and that his friendship with Antsy is also still connected.