The Wednesday Wars

Holling watches Walter Cronkite report the news each night with his family hoping to glimpse Lieutenant Baker in the news footage. Mrs. Baker carries on as usual at school. Her eyes are constantly rimmed in red from crying, but she tells the class she just has a cold. Meanwhile, Mr. Vendleri, the school handyman, comes in during a Wednesday afternoon to investigate the bulging ceiling tiles in Mrs. Baker’s room. When he tilts down a tile, mounds of shredded papers from the missing rats rain down on Holling. Worried about the rats, Holling finds it hard to focus on his new Shakespeare assignment, Julius Caesar, for the rest of the afternoon.

One day, Mrs. Baker announces the school board will be coming to evaluate the class, and Holling instinctively quotes from Julius Caesar, “Beware the ides of March” (162). Coincidentally, the school board will be visiting on the ides of March. Another coincidence ensues when Coach Quatrini announces that cross-country tryouts will also be on the ides of March. Everyone must participate, so Holling practices over the weekend to prepare. Mrs. Baker sees him training, and takes him out to the track to give him some pointers and to help him run “like Jesse Owens” (168).