Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Bud, Not Buddy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Economic Insecurity and Community
Children vs. Adults
Resourcefulness
Family and Home
Race and Racism
Summary
Analysis
After breakfast, Bud and Lefty Lewis say goodbye to the Sleets and go to the car to prepare to depart. Bud notices that the blood is missing, and Lefty Lewis tells him he dropped it off at the Hurly hospital while Bud slept. He also tells him he sent a telegram to the “Log Cabin” that Herman E. Calloway apparently owns to let him know Bud is okay.
Bud and Lefty leave the Sleets and Bud again turns his attention towards finding his permanent family in Herman. He is closer than he’s ever been, and Lefty’s telegram means that now Herman may even be expecting him as well.
Themes
On their way out of Flint, just as they are passing the “Welcome to Flint” sign, a siren goes off. Bud looks out and sees police, so he’s sure they’ve finally “found” him.
Bud is worried about the police and how they may keep him from achieving his goal of finding his family.
Themes
Lefty Lewis tells Bud to listen “very carefully” to what he tells Bud. Bud thinks this makes Lefty Lewis sound like he’s on the run too. This makes Bud remember “rule 8,” whenever adults say something like this, “do not listen, [but] run as fast as you can […] especially if the cops are chasing you.”
Bud prepares to run even as Lefty coaches him to do something else. Though Bud may trust Lefty, he still thinks he knows the best course of action for himself, and he is not afraid to act on it, regardless of Lefty’s request.
Themes
Lefty Lewis tells Bud to put the box next to him under Bud’s seat. After Bud does this, he tells Bud to remain in the car silently. Bud stays but plans to make “a break for it.” After 10 seconds, he’ll take his suitcase and run to a nearby building.
Bud hides a mysterious—and suspect—box for Lefty and remains in the car, but he continues to plan an escape if necessary. Again, he’ll do what’s best for himself and his suitcase, his most prized possession, regardless of what an adult advises him to do.
Themes
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Bud counts to 10 a few times but is unable to leave. By this time the police and Lefty Lewis are “standing at the door.” The police officer asks to see the trunk of the car and Lefty Lewis obliges. Afterwards, the officer asks Bud what’s in the suitcase, and Lefty responds that it’s just the things Bud took with him for his visit to Flint from Grand Rapids.
However, Bud does not seem to be able to leave Lefty—especially with a police officer. Bud’s hesitation suggests that he may truly care for Lefty. Besides Lefty has his back when the police officer turns his attention to Bud’s suitcase, which proves Lefty’s loyalty as well. They are a united front, Lefty and Bud, and at least for a brief moment.
Themes
After he frees them from the search, the police officer reveals that he is stopping unknown cars in case labor organizers are coming in from Detroit. Back on the highway, Bud asks what a labor organizer is, prompting a conversation about unions with Lefty Lewis. Lefty tells him a union is like a family that tries “to make things better for themselves and their children.”
Bud again gets a hint of how the economic struggle throughout the country is bringing people together in new ways. He learns that unions are a family that have each other’s back and make sure their family’s needs are met.
Themes
Lefty Lewis then tells Bud to open up his box. Bud is hesitant and is unsure if he wants to know what lies inside. He yawns and tells Lefty he better sleep instead but Lefty insists, asking him to promise never to “breathe a word about what [he] see[s].”
Bud becomes apprehensive of finding out more information about Lefty’s life, and he tries to dodge Lefty’s request by falling asleep, the technique used to he avoid conversation with Lefty when they first met.
Themes
Again, Bud tells Lefty he’ll rather take a nap, but Lefty continues to insist. Bud begins raising the lid of the box, but Lefty asks him to promise him out loud that he’ll never tell anyone. Bud finally opens the box and sees only paper. He looks underneath for a pistol but finds nothing. He asks Lefty how paper can be dangerous.
Bud again gets a sense of the interior world of the economic crisis as he reads what the flyers say. Bud is also relieved to find out that there is no danger inside the box. Though he trusts Lefty, he has not completely stopped being skeptical of adults.
Themes
Lefty encourages him to read and so he does. Bud reads that an organization called the Brotherhood of Pullman Porters will hold an info meeting on Wednesday July 23, 1936. The letter calls for the reader to keep the information confidential.
The “Brotherhood of Pullman Porters” highlights the link between economic troubles and family—one’s “family” during hard economic times seems to be based more on shared hardship than shared blood.
Themes
Bud asks Lefty if he is one of the labor organizers, but Lefty responds with a “not really.” He picked up the flyers in Flint so they can hand them out in Grand Rapids because the only place that could print the flyers is in Flint.
Bud becomes interested in Lefty’s role in the labor movement and perhaps even begins to respect him a little more for his willingness to skirt the rules and act strategically.
Themes
After, Lefty explains about the “trouble” the policeman hinted at. He describes a sit-down strike to Bud (when workers show up but don’t work so new workers can’t be brought in). He tells Bud that this scares factory bosses.
Later, Bud wakes up from a nap and Lefty points to the landscape outside and asks Bud if things look familiar. Bud lies that they do. Shortly afterwards they begin to approach what Bud assumes is the Log Cabin. He notices, according to a sign (“…HERMAN E. CALLOWAY AND THE NUBIAN KNIGHTS OF THE NEW DEAL”), that his father has joined a new band.
Bud sleeps and wakes up in Lefty’s presence yet again, cementing Lefty as a trustworthy adult figure. Finally, Bud arrives at his “father’s” place and like many times before, Bud is quick to take note of information he finds interesting or important that he can use to his advantage.
Themes
Lefty pulls up to Herman’s car, the “Packard,” and notes that Herman is inside. Bud, thinking quickly, tries to convince Lefty to let him go in to talk to his father alone. Lefty, after some hesitation, makes a deal with Bud: Lefty will hang on to Bud’s suitcase and leave him to talk to his father for five minutes. He’ll then bring Bud’s suitcase in for him once the time is up.
Bud, the quick thinker that he is, convinces Lefty to let him talk to his “father,” by himself. Again, Bud thinks that by outsmarting Lefty, he can minimize the amount of trouble he’ll be in. Lefty, however, does have the foresight to hang on to Bud’s suitcase. Like other adults before, he is able to sense the huge importance that Bud places on it and the items inside. It is a type of insurance for adults so that Bud does what they want him to do.
Themes
Bud makes Lefty promise not to look inside his bag. Lefty does, so Bud enters the Log Cabin. He sees another set of doors but instead of pushing them and going further in, he waits in the dark. After, he goes back outside to retrieve his suitcase from Lefty, pretending he’s already spoken to Herman. Acting on Herman’s behalf, Bud tells Lefty “thank you,” for his help.
Bud follows through on his end of the deal, at least as far as Lefty knows. In reality, Bud simply makes Lefty think that he talked to his father so that he can get his suitcase back and ensure Lefty leaves before he realizes that Bud lied. Nevertheless, though Bud pretends that his words of thanks are from his “father,” he seems to really appreciate and be thankful of Lefty’s help and company.
Themes
Lefty makes Bud promise that before he runs again, he’ll go to the train station and ask for him first so that they can “talk before [he] set[s] out on [his] own again.” Lefty then tells Bud to say hello to Herman for him and hands Bud his suitcase. Bud waves until he sees the car enter the street. Then he turns around and enters both set of doors to the Log Cabin.
Lefty’s final message to Bud suggests that this will not be the last time that they see each other. It also suggests that Bud will always have a friend and someone to help him in times of need. Again, Bud’s interactions with adults are not all black and white. His relationship with Lefty shows that sometimes, the adults in his life can really want the best for him.
Themes
Bud sees six men seating in a circle and notes that one of them is white. He sees the one “who had to be [his] father […] sitting with his back to Bud.” Bud listens to him lie and do some good exaggerating and notes that this is enough proof that the guy is his father. Soon after, he sees the man take his hat off and thinks he’s shaved his head like Bud has always wanted to, providing Bud with further proof of their relations.
Inside the Log Cabin, Bud is content with watching the band and listening to them to find out information. Bud seems to look for clues that Herman is his father in order to garner the confidence he needs to reveal himself to Herman and the band. This means that all of Herman’s movements become clues that they’re related because Bud wants to believe it so badly.
Themes
As Herman recounts to his audience a fight that he lost, he says something that convinces Bud even further that they’re related: “there comes a time when you’re doing something, and you realize it just doesn’t make any sense to keep on doing it […] you understand enough is enough.” Bud is sure that “only two folks with the same blood would think them just alike!” So, Bud walks into the light of the Log Cabin’s stage.
Bud is desperate to believe he and Herman are related, so Bud takes it as a sign that the man thinks of fights in a similar way to how Bud did as he fought Todd Amos. With this insight, Bud has all the evidence he needs so he reveals himself.
Themes
The “horn guy” named Jimmy asks if “Miss Thomas,” sent him, but Bud ignores him and keeps walking to see his father’s face. He is surprised to see that his father’s face is “real old,” like the “horn guy,” almost “too old.” Bud remains sure, however, that this man has to be his father.
Bud ignores the questions about Miss Thomas because he is so focused on Herman. However, he is not prepared to see how old Herman is, suggesting that he doesn’t align with what Bud has imagined his father would look like. Bud pushes through the doubts that spring up once he realizes Herman may be “too old” to be his father because he has come too far to turn back around and find a new dream.
Themes
Bud tells them that he doesn’t know a Miss Thomas and that he’s here to meet his father. The men think he’s referring to the drummer but Bud points to Herman and says, “You know it’s you.” Herman stops smiling and appraises Bud. Bud is glad he can’t cry anymore so these men won’t think he’s a baby. He addresses Herman again and says, “I know it’s you.”
