The Magic of Flight: Exploring Themes of Imagination, Competition, and the Price of Fame in "How I Learned to Fly"

This article delves into the themes, characters, and narrative of two distinct works: Jacqueline Woodson's children's picture book, The Year We Learned to Fly, and R.L. Stine's Goosebumps book, How I Learned to Fly. While seemingly disparate, both stories explore the human desire to transcend limitations, whether through imagination or extraordinary abilities.

Escaping Boredom Through Imagination: "The Year We Learned to Fly"

Jacqueline Woodson's The Year We Learned to Fly, illustrated by Rafael López, is a story told in verse about two Black siblings who discover the power of imagination as a means of escaping boredom and the mundane aspects of their everyday lives. The book was well-received, gaining starred reviews from multiple publications, highlighting its poignant message and artistic presentation.

"How I Learned to Fly": A Goosebumps Departure

R.L. Stine's How I Learned to Fly stands out in the Goosebumps series as a departure from traditional horror elements. Instead, it explores themes of competition, fame, and self-acceptance through a story about a boy who discovers a way to fly.

Jack Johnson and the Burden of Competition

Jack Johnson is constantly tired of being bullied and outshone by Wilson Schlamme. Wilson always tries to prove that he is the best at everything. Jack - an aspiring cartoonist - loves drawing superheroes. He plans on showing his latest creation, The Incredible Laser Man, to Mia. Before he gets the chance to do this, Wilson shows Mia a drawing of his own: an entire team of heroes! After school, Wilson challenges Jack to a bike race, and Mia observes. Wilson wins the race. Soon after, the three kids are informed by Mrs. Green, Jack's neighbor, that her kitten is stuck in a tree. Jack attempts to climb the tree, but he slips and falls from a branch. Wilson climbs the tree and rescues the cat with ease. Jack tries to leave hurriedly. Before he can get away, Mia invites both him and Wilson to her upcoming birthday party on Saturday.

On Saturday, Jack goes to Mia's party, bringing a present with him. During a game of Twister, Jack's pants tear in the back. Everyone sees Jack's underwear, and they all laugh. Jack almost leaves the party, but he is coaxed into staying by Mia, and he is given a pair of her brother's shorts. Mia begins opening her presents, and she happy to find that Jack has given her a CD by her favorite band, Purple Rose. However, Jack's gift for Mia is quickly eclipsed by Wilson's gift: two front row tickets to see Purple Rose live. Bewildered by Wilson's actions, Jack storms out of the party. Mia and other party attendees chase after him. Jack is only able to get away from the other kids by ducking into an old, abandoned house. While exploring the house, Jack falls through a patch of loose floor boards and into the basement. Jack spots a trunk, and, inside the trunk, he finds a book called Flying Lessons.

The Discovery of Flight

Just as Jack arrives home, his parents leave. Jack begins reading the book that he found. The book features pictures of people flying and provides Jack with instructions on how he can fly. Jack is skeptical, but he decides to follow the books instructions anyways. The book gives Jack the recipe for a potion. Jack finds all of the necessary supplies from his kitchen. The book also instructs Jack to perform a strange series of exercises and recite a cryptic chant: "Hishram hishmar shah shahrom shom." Jack does both of these things and begins mixing the doughy potion. The book provides Jack with an envelope of blue powder to pour into his mixture. While Jack is distracted, his dog, Morty, starts eating the potion. Jack stops the dog before it can finish the entire bowl. The dog then begins floating through the house and out of a window. In the hopes of saving his dog, Jack eats a large portion of the potion and runs outside. Jack feels a strange sensation in his stomach, and, suddenly, he is able to fly. Jack flies after the dog and eventually catches it. He slowly begins to learn how to control his flight. Amazed by his new power, Jack flies around his neighborhood before returning home.

Competition Takes Flight

Over the course of the next few days, Jack wants to show off his flight to Wilson and Mia, but he repeatedly runs into complications. One day, when the weather outside is fair, Jack challenges Wilson to a race, and Mia agrees to watch. Jack jumps into the air and begins flying, but he quickly realizes that Wilson is flying too. Shocked, Jack falls to the ground, and Wilson wins the race. Wilson says that he had seen Jack flying several days ago and saw where Jack hid his book. Wilson temporarily stole the book so he could teach himself how to fly. Mia asks Jack to teach her how to fly, and he agrees. When the two of them make it back to Jack's house, they find that Mr. Johnson threw away the mattress that the book was hidden in. Mia is disappointed at first, but, after thinking it over, she realizes that flying could be very dangerous. She warns Jack to avoid flying in the future. Jack considers this advice, but he eventually goes out flying again that night. Unfortunately, he unwittingly flies further than expected and finds himself on an unfamiliar highway, many miles from Malibu. When Jack arrives home, he gets a call from Wilson. Wilson informs Jack this he's scheduled a special race for the following day, and the entire school will be watching.

The Price of Fame

The following day, Jack is unable to call off the race. Jack is pressured into flying, but he still loses the race. The entire school is speechless. For the rest of the day, all of Jack's peers seem to avoid him in fear. Jack is pulled aside by the school nurse and introduced to several scientists. The scientists say that they want to experiment on Jack. Jack, fearful of the scientists, runs home. Jack is surprised to find that his parents are home, and are aware of Jack's flying ability. Soon, Jack's father begins arranging appearances for his son, and everyone from the government to the entertainment world is interested in learning about Jack's ability to fly. Jack hates his celebrity status, as even on his few days off, he can't just hang out with his friends. One day, Jack's father tells Jack that he's scheduled another race between Jack and Wilson. On the day of the big race, a crowd of thousands come out to view Jack and Wilson. Jack is almost crushed by the crowd when he as he is guided to the stage. When Jack sees Wilson, he can tell that Wilson loves the attention he's getting. The race begins, but Jack falls in his attempt to fly.

As several months pass, Wilson is still famous as the flying boy, but the fame soon takes its toll on him, as he has to transfer to another school and, like Jack, he has to deal with talent agents, the military, obsessed fans, and government scientists hounding him at all hours of the day and night. Meanwhile, Jack enjoys his life of obscurity, where he finally gets to spend time with Mia and be a normal kid…or as normal as possible, considering that Jack (and his pet dog, who now has to wear a heavy collar to keep him grounded) never lost the ability to fly. Jack faked losing his ability to fly on the day of the race to escape the burden of being a celebrity.

Thematic Elements and Analysis

How I Learned to Fly explores several compelling themes:

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Competition and Validation: The story highlights the destructive nature of constant competition, particularly through the rivalry between Jack and Wilson. Jack's initial desire to fly stems from his need to outdo Wilson and gain validation, but he eventually realizes that true self-worth comes from within.
The Price of Fame: The book satirizes the superficiality and invasiveness of fame. Both Jack and Wilson experience the downsides of being celebrities, including the loss of privacy, exploitation by adults, and the pressure to constantly perform.
Self-Acceptance: Ultimately, Jack's decision to relinquish his flying ability demonstrates his growth and self-acceptance. He chooses a normal life with his friends over the fleeting allure of fame and recognition.

Literary Devices and Style

Stine employs several literary devices to enhance the story:

Humor: The book incorporates humor through absurd situations, such as the potion-making scene and the characters' reactions to flying.
Satire: The story satirizes the entertainment industry and the public's obsession with celebrities.
Irony: The ending is ironic, as Jack achieves happiness by giving up the very thing he initially desired.

Connections to Other Works

The themes explored in How I Learned to Fly resonate with other works that examine the downsides of fame and competition, such as The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life" and the film Little Miss Sunshine.

Contrasting "How I Learned to Fly" with other narratives

While How I Learned to Fly takes a lighthearted approach to its themes, other narratives explore similar issues with greater depth and realism. The film How I Learned to Fly, directed by Tristan Steuri, tells the story of two African-American teenage brothers who are abandoned by their parents and must navigate poverty, abuse, and the challenges of survival.

"How I Learned to Fly" (2022 film): A Story of Survival

Two African-American teenage brothers suddenly find themselves on their own after being mysteriously abandoned by their parents. Deeply haunted by the mental and physical abuse inflicted by their father (Wu-Tang Clan's Cliff "Method Man" Smith), elder brother Daniel (Marcus Scribner, ABC's Black-ish) is determined to prevent their lives from falling apart. He maintains a daily routine, works as a dishwasher and does his best to keep a roof over their heads. Embarking on a journey of survival and self-discovery, they uncover moments of beauty, newfound meaning and enduring love that strengthen their bond despite the uncertain road ahead. We’re all intrinsically wired for self-preservation, but that doesn’t mean we know the right path to walk when life throws us headlong into the fire. Despite our intentions, we may only manage to barely keep our noses above water while treading every minute of every day, with no hope of any long-standing respite. But our tribulations become infinitely more complex when we must also care for others, especially family. When two teenage brothers, Daniel (Marcus Scribner) and Eli (Lonnie Chavis), find themselves suddenly abandoned by their parents, life only gets progressively harder with each passing day. While Daniel juggles school and a part-time job washing dishes, he also cares for Eli as best as he can - whose abuse at the hands of their father, Cliff (Method Man), has left permanent scars on the younger brother’s psyche. How I Learned to Fly is a resident of what I refer to as the Theater of Coincidence - a kind of storytelling propelled by the main characters happening upon each beat as they find them. Films of this ilk - like Antonio Méndez Esparza’s Life and Nothing More and Amman Abbasi’s Dayveon - showcase characters meandering from scene to scene, with most major plot points occurring primarily out of the protagonists’ control. The floundering desperation of Daniel and Eli making their way through a world they’re convinced doesn’t care or understand them is echoed superbly throughout How I Learned to Fly‘s collection of moments - both mundane and pivotal. But at the same time, this approach causes the film’s center to lag far more than what I assume the filmmakers intended, where storytelling elements and characterization points are merely repeated rather than expanded upon. This is strongly reflected in the supporting characters of Louis (Cedric The Entertainer), Yaya (Michele Selene Ang), and Katherine (Jennifer Lee Laks). While these performances are well-acted and deliver moments of poignant empathy or punchy and sardonic wit in Yaya’s instance, they’re also underutilized.

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