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
The men get very quiet. Jimmy asks Bud if his name is Bud, and when Bud says yes eagerly, Jimmy connects his name to the “crazy telegram” from the morning.
The men are stunned by the revelation—though Bud continues to hold his own, almost daring them to deny the veracity of his statement.
Themes
Meanwhile, Herman is confused and chastises Bud for “accusing folks of being [his] father.” He then asks Bud where his mother is, and Bud tells him she is dead. Herman tells Bud that while he’s sorry to hear that, “it’s obvious that Bud is a disturbed young man,” that doesn’t “have a clue who [his] father is.” Despite this, Bud continues to insist that he “belongs to [Herman] now.”
Herman takes a deep disliking to Bud for daring to come into his domain and accuse him of something he is not. He tries to wrestle control of the situation from Bud by suggesting that Bud is only a “disturbed” young child, but Bud refuses to let Herman make him doubt his conviction. He continues to insist that he is right, and Herman is wrong.
Themes
Jimmy tells Bud that someone must be worried about him in Flint, but Bud tells them he doesn’t have anyone there. When Jimmy asks Bud if he lives in an orphanage, Bud tries to explain that he’s on the run and begins to explain the Amoses and the cops, but Jimmy eventually waves him away to wait by the stage. Bud thinks about how he can make a quick exit while he waits and notes that he’ll have to leave through the same door he came in.
Bud does not plan on going back to his life of loneliness and hardship in Flint. He tries to explain this to Jimmy to give him a sense of what he can’t go back to, but Bud’s story seems to be too much for Jimmy. He stops Bud before Bud can really talk about the extent of his hard life. Bud characteristically begins making plans about escaping, should the need arise. Again, Bud doesn’t trust most adults he comes into contact with, family or not.
Themes
He hears Herman tell Jimmy that this is Jimmy’s “little red wagon” to pull how he wants before Jimmy calls him over. Jimmy then makes a deal with Bud and tells Bud that in exchange for food at a place called Sweet Pea, Bud has to tell the truth. When Bud asks him what Sweet Pea is, Jimmy tells him it’s the “best restaurant in Grand Rapids,” so Bud agrees to the deal.
Jimmy does not find Bud’s presence as annoying as Herman does. So, he allows Bud to come with them to the Sweet Pea, to feed Bud while collecting information from him. Bud, never one to turn down a free meal, happily accepts.
Themes
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Herman loudly interjects and says he doesn’t want to hear Bud’s story as he’s eating, lights a pipe, and walks out. Bud wishes his father wasn’t Herman, but Lefty Lewis or Jimmy since Herman seems so difficult.
Herman at first is angry that Bud will be joining them, but he seems to resign himself to the boy’s presence by not putting up too much of a fight. It is a small victory for Bud, though he wishes that Herman wasn’t so “difficult.”
Themes
Jimmy introduces Bud to the rest of the bandmates: the Thug, Dirty Deed (the only white band member), Doo-Doo Bug, and Steady Eddie. He tells them to make Bud feel comfortable.
Bud meets the other members of Herman’s Band family, so he feels comfortable eating with them.
Themes
Jimmy tells them that Bud will go with them for dinner, and he and Herman will come separately. The “sax man,” Steady Eddie, then gets Bud to help him grab his saxophone case to bring to the Buick; he tells him to be careful with his “bread and butter,” because he needs it to make money.
Bud is spared from riding with Herman to dinner. While Herman immediately sees Bud as a nuisance, Steady Eddie appears to develop a liking for Bud immediately. He asks Bud for help in order to bring Bud into the fold and make him feel useful.
Themes
The trombone player, Doo Doo Bug, tells Bud to not address them as “sir,” since they’re not as old as Jimmy or his “long-lost dear old daddy.” They laugh and then all of them take turns advising Bud to show Herman more affection. The Thug tells Bud to hug him, call him daddy and kiss him at the Sweet Pea. Bud, however, decides to ignore the advice. Steady Eddie emphasizes that Bud should pay no mind to The Thug and tells Bud to instead give Herman his space for a while.
The others in the band also do their best to make Bud feel welcome in the only way they know how: through teasing. Bud does not seem to mind much, maybe because Lefty prepared him for it. Besides, he is smart enough to know not to take them too seriously. Steady Eddie meanwhile gives Bud advice that will help him navigate their group and keep Herman out of his way for the time being.
Themes
Bud accidentally lets it slip to the band that he thinks his father is a “mean old coot” and realizes he shouldn’t have said it. “Rule 63” is “never say something bad about someone you don’t know—especially when you’re around a bunch of strangers.”
Bud uncharacteristically makes a careless mistake in front of the new adults in the room by not following one of his important rules. The mistake makes him feel vulnerable in front of them.
Themes
The Thug pretends to write down what Bud said, but Steady Eddie chastises him and tells him that he and Bud are “too dang hungry to hear any more of [his] lip.” Bud realizes that Steady Eddie is his favorite.
The band teases Bud, but Steady Eddie again comes to Bud’s rescue and makes Bud feel as if his mistake is not as serious as he thought. Bud, as a result, is grateful for Steady Eddie’s presence and help.
Themes
After loading the instruments, Bud gets in the car and The Thug asks Bud how he found out that Herman is his father. Bud tells them that his mother told him. The Thug asks if his mother was “as old as sand,” when she gave birth to Bud. Bud responds that she was but later reveals that she was 20 when she had him and 26 when she died. No one talks after that until they get to Sweet Pea.
Bud reveals to the band that his mother died when he was six, which makes the band feel sorry for him. Although they just met him, they seem to generally feel concern for him—and they show this by respecting his pain and not asking any more questions.
Themes
When they get to Sweet Pea, Steady Eddie tells Bud that he’s a “tough little nut” that doesn’t cry like “most folks his age.” Bud tells them that his eyes “don’t cry no more,” and Steady Eddie tells him that that sounds like “a great name for a song.” Steady Eddie also reassures Bud not to worry too much about The Thug. From there, Doo-Doo Bug tells them it’s time to “stuff [their] craws.”
Steady Eddie is the first one to congratulate Bud for surviving the trauma of seeing his mother die, validating Bud’s maturity. Moreover, Steady Eddie and Bud seem to get along not as an adult and a child, but as true friends. Bud even gives him an idea for a new song, hinting that Bud may be a more natural fit with the band than he initially seems.
Themes
