56 pages • 1 hour read
Maria PadianWrecked
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 3-6
Chapter 3 Summary: “Haley”
The interluding italicized section prior to Chapter 3 describes a short conversation between Jenny and another girl, who is asking how Jenny got the invite to the party. Jenny answers that it was Brandon Exley while marveling at the “airy fabric” (28) of the borrowed dress she is wearing.
Chapter 3 opens on Haley discovering upperclassmen in her room: women she has seen before but “not in her room” (29). Carrie and her friend Gail are sitting with Jenny and comforting her. Awkwardly, Haley asks if things are okay and then gets her notebook and leaves the room again. After leaving, Haley wonders about what is going on and why “Jenny-Mouse [is] more furtive than ever” (31). Haley decides to ignore the situation and focus on her own difficulties with her soccer teammates, especially Madison, who are upset because Haley has recently found out that not only is she benched, but she will never be able to play soccer again given the results of her impact test.
Haley’s friendship with Madison began because they were both the strongest freshmen on the soccer team. During early hazing-like activities, the two girls quickly rose to the top and received praise from veteran players.
After leaving her morning class, Carrie finds Haley outside and stops her to talk to her. Haley is a little surprised. As they begin walking together so that Carrie can tell her something about Jenny, Haley spots “Cute Guy, from math tutoring” (37) staring at Carrie.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Richard”
Before Chapter 4 begins, the short, italicized section focuses on a group of boys preparing a large batch of drinks, led by Brandon Exley.
Richard has been following Carrie around campus, which “doesn’t make him proud” (40). Knowing that he has to, Richard confides in his housemate Jordan, who tells him to relax and focus on other women. Jordan describes his recent exploits at Saturday night’s party, during which he was able to sleep with a freshman student. Richard feels slightly disgusted by Jordan’s attitude and behavior, reflecting on his larger dislike of the other housemates, including Brandon Exley, the most entitled of them all.
Just as Richard is about to go talk to Carrie after seeing her outside, he realizes that Carrie is with “Soccer Girl” (45) who he has seen in the math lounge. After watching them for a moment, Richard walks away.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Haley”
Though Haley doesn’t like hugging, when she gets back to her room, she “throws her arms around the girl’s shoulders and, wordlessly, squeezes tight” (48). Haley apologizes for not realizing that something more significant had been wrong and listens as Jenny struggles to communicate her conflicting ideas about being raped, saying: “I don’t feel brave. I feel stupid” (49). Carrie had filled Haley in on the details of the situation, including the fact that Jenny is filing a complaint against her rapist. Jenny begins to open up to Haley now that the secret is out, and the two have a supportive conversation.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Richard”
The italicized section before Chapter 6 stays focused on the drink making process led by Brandon Exley.
In the math lounge, Richard is not surprised to find Haley, or Soccer Girl, working. She’s a regular there. Today, Haley is getting help from a useless tutor who doesn’t have strong math skills; Richard interrupts, helps Haley solve the problem they’ve been struggling with, and ends up going with her to the café.
Having asked Haley about her soccer sweatshirt, Richard listens as she tells the story of the concussion and her being benched. They get coffee, and Haley eats a brownie, jokingly explaining that she’s “not one of those splitting types” (61). As they talk, Richard brings up Carrie, asking how Haley knows the older student. Haley avoids the topic, and they talk about people who eat healthy food like tofu and tempeh. After a little more banter, Richard explains that he and Carrie had dated but “weren’t a fit” (65). Haley leaves to go to the health clinic for a follow-up appointment and Richard notes how “cute” it is when she waves goodbye.
Chapters 3-6 Analysis
Gender and gender role expectations play an important role in the characterization and plot development of Wrecked. Padian carefully presents a tableau of characters who each approach their gender identity and expectations differently in order to illustrate a wide variety of perspectives. Haley and Richard, the protagonists, are both characterized somewhere in the middle: neither leans towards an extremely solidified set of beliefs or presentation, instead wavering between meeting expectations and defying them. For example, Haley struggles with her relationships with other young women, yet also feels extremely supportive when she finds out that Jenny has survived a rape. Similarly, Haley is a heterosexual woman who is mostly friends with other women, but also presents in slightly less feminine ways, opting to primarily wear sweatpants. Like Haley, Richard falls in between being a stereotypical representative of his gender and seems to be outside of the norm. While Richard relies on some harmful, sexist beliefs in his relationship with Carrie and his use of language, he also feels resistant to more misogynistic characters like Jordan and Brandon.
Outside of Richard and Haley, other characters also represent other facets of the gender spectrum. Carrie and Gail, who are older students, both present as powerfully feminine and strikingly beautiful, as well as upholding strong feminist beliefs. Later in the novel, Carrie’s blind adherence to these beliefs makes it difficult for her to truly empathize with other characters.
In sharp contrast to Carrie and Gail is Jordan, who is introduced early on as having little regard for women or for having authentic romantic relationships. Jordan describes having sex with woman with the analogy of fishing, illustrating his sexist belief systems. Padian includes these diverse perspectives in order to bring to life the many different ways that young adults solidify their values in regards to gender and relationships, as well as to illustrate the tensions that result in having people with varying beliefs all in one central place (in this case, a college campus).
Much of the plot of Wrecked centers around social life on a college campus, describing common thematic issues that young adults encounter. Haley and Richard each struggle with their relationships with their peers in both small and big ways. Padian hints early on at Haley’s potential difficulty in navigating her friendships and loyalty to her team, as these conflict with Haley’s support of Jenny or other characters. In a different way, Padian paints Richard’s dislike of some of his housemates as a building conflict; Richard didn’t have another place to live and likes some of the young men he lives with, and as a result, is also confined to the same space as people he really doesn’t like. College campuses are a unique social space, and throughout the novel, Padian highlights this through the different characters’ reactions to, and relationships with, others.
