The Seventh Most Important Thing

“But when Arthur saw the crazy Junk Man wearing the most important thing of all to his dad…that was the final straw. […] He would punish the old man for what he’d done. He would punish death for what it had done. He would punish everybody.”

These lines from Arthur’s thoughts introduce the main conflicts of the novel, both internal and external. The throwing of the brick is the catalyst that sets the story in motion. If not for that incident, Arthur would have never developed a relationship with Mr. Hampton and learned the seven important lessons represented by the seven important things. With the death of his dad, Arthur feels angry, sad, and alone. He’s never experienced death of a loved one before and has no frame for dealing with his emotions. Arthur knows hurting Mr. Hampton isn’t the answer, but grief drives Arthur to take an action he wouldn’t normally take. This action kickstarts the external conflict—building and saving heaven. The hat Arthur’s mother threw away represents the theme of “One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure.” To Arthur’s mother, the hat represents grief, and so she throws it away. To Arthur, the hat is the last piece of his dad and treasure.

“It kind of made Arthur mad that she would say this to him, but deep down, he couldn’t help wondering if she was right. His middle name, Thomas, was from his dad, but that didn’t mean they were the same people. Or did it? Until he threw the brick, Arthur had never been in trouble with the cops before.”

This passage embodies the theme of “People Aren’t Always Who They Seem.” Arthur’s mother is one of many characters to believe Arthur’s single criminal act means he’s just like his father.