Zach Wrench Character Analysis in Good Night, Mr. Tom

Zach, a London child evacuated to Little Weirwold in September 1939, bears the full name Zacharias Wrench, which he finds deeply embarrassing. Though culturally Jewish, his parents are theologically liberal, and he knows some Hebrew prayers but doesn’t seem to have been raised in any organized religion. Zach’s parents are traveling actors, and his ambition is to be a globally famous entertainer when he grows up. He likes to tap dance, act, and plan epic poems he fails to complete. He approaches and befriends William Beech shortly after their arrival in Little Weirwold because he believes he sees an independent and sensitive spirit in William. Zach’s friendship changes William: at Zach’s behest, William joins the Little Weirwold children’s Christmas show and realizes that he has a talent for acting. As World War II intensifies, Zach’s parents join the civilian war effort: his mother becomes an ambulance driver and his father a member of the Auxiliary Fire Service in London. Though Zach enjoys his time with his foster parents, Dr. Little and Nancy Little, (whom he calls “Aunt Nance,”), he becomes increasingly worried for his parents’ safety over the summer of 1940 and eventually goes to visit them in London in September 1940 after his father is hospitalized in the aftermath of a fire. On this visit, Zach dies in the brutal September 1940 bombings of London by the Nazi Luftwaffe. His death devastates William—until William teaches himself to ride Zach’s bicycle, acts out “Zach’s” parts in imaginary two-sided conversations with his dead friend. Ultimately, William realizes that Zach’s essence lives on in the way his friendship transformed William as a person.

Zach Wrench Quotes in Good Night, Mr. Tom

The Good Night, Mr. Tom quotes below are all either spoken by Zach Wrench or refer to Zach Wrench. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Biological Family vs. Chosen Family Theme Icon

Willie continued to gaze at the materials. He loved the reds, but Mum said red was a sinful color.

Related Characters: Mrs. Beech/William’s Mother, Zach Wrench, William Beech, Tom Oakley

Related Symbols: Zach’s Bicycle

Page Number and Citation: 49

Explanation and Analysis:

“As soon as I see someone I like, I talk to them.”

Willie almost dropped the clod of earth he was holding. No one had ever said that they liked him. He’d always accepted that no one did. Even his mum said she only liked him when he was quiet and still.

Related Characters: Zach Wrench (speaker), Tom Oakley, William Beech, Mrs. Beech/William’s Mother

Page Number and Citation: 73

Explanation and Analysis:

Since Rachel’s death he hadn’t joined in any of the social activities in Little Weirwold. In his grief he had cut himself off from people, and when he had recovered he had lost the habit of socializing.

Related Characters: Zach Wrench, Rachel, Tom Oakley, William Beech

Page Number and Citation: 75

Explanation and Analysis:

He couldn’t read or write. He couldn’t swim or ride a bicycle. He had never made anything and he couldn’t tell the difference between one flower and another. He couldn’t play cricket or any other game for that matter and he had never been fishing. He began to panic. The others would get bored with waiting and go off on their own without him. He swallowed hard and looked up at their faces. They didn’t look bored. He relaxed a little and then he remembered something.

“I likes drawin’.”

Related Characters: William Beech (speaker), Ginnie Thatcher, George Fletcher, Mrs. Fletcher , Zach Wrench, Carrie Thatcher

Page Number and Citation: 92–93

Explanation and Analysis:

The jersey had a polo-neck collar in red. The cuffs and the waistband were ribbed in the same color. Willie thought that next to Zach’s deep complexion and black hair the red looked pleasing.

“I think it’s fine,” he said quietly, and Zach knew he was speaking truthfully.

Related Characters: William Beech (speaker), Zach Wrench, George Fletcher, Carrie Thatcher, Ginnie Thatcher

Page Number and Citation: 126

Explanation and Analysis:

“And here’s me dying to act and I can’t be in it because I’m Jewish.”

“Now you know how I feel about the high school,” said Carrie.

Related Characters: Zach Wrench (speaker), Carrie Thatcher (speaker), George Fletcher, William Beech, Ginnie Thatcher, Miss Emilia Thorne

Page Number and Citation: 142

Explanation and Analysis:

When Willie woke the next day, there was something altogether unusual about the morning. He lay in bed for some time and stared up at the ceiling trying to puzzle it out. Finally he gave up and clambered out of bed. It was only when he started automatically to strip it that he realized what it was that was so different. There was no need for the sheets to be washed that day. They were dry.

Related Characters: Mrs. Beech/William’s Mother, Tom Oakley, William Beech, Zach Wrench

Page Number and Citation: 145–146

Explanation and Analysis:

Although it wasn’t his Sabbath, he gripped his little round cap into his feathery hair and swayed gently to and fro saying the few Hebrew prayers that he remembered. It comforted him to sing the strange guttural sounds. It was like uttering a magical language that would make everything all right. His parents had taught him that whoever or whatever God was, he, she or it could probably understand silent thoughts; but it made Zach feel better to voice his feelings aloud.

Related Characters: Mrs. Beech/William’s Mother, William Beech, Tom Oakley, Zach Wrench

Related Symbols: Zach’s Bicycle

Page Number and Citation: 268

Explanation and Analysis:

“Better to accept than to pretend he never existed.”

Related Characters: Geoffrey Sanderton (speaker), Zach Wrench, William Beech

Related Symbols: Zach’s Bicycle

Page Number and Citation: 299

Explanation and Analysis:

As he rode, his coat flapping behind him, the crisp wind cooling his face, he suddenly felt that Zach was no longer beside him, he was inside him and very much alive. The numbness in his body had dissolved into exhilaration.

Related Characters: Zach Wrench, William Beech

Related Symbols: Zach’s Bicycle

Page Number and Citation: 304

Explanation and Analysis:

Zach Wrench Character Timeline in Good Night, Mr. Tom

The timeline below shows where the character Zach Wrench appears in Good Night, Mr. Tom. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...him. Inside the post office, Willie sees a tan, curly-haired boy (later revealed to be Zach) writing a letter under a magnifying glass. Willie finds the boy oddly fascinating. Willie quietly... (full context)

...They enter the store. Willie looks around for the curly-haired boy from the post office (Zach) while Tom talks to Mr. Miller behind the counter. When Mr. Miller spies Willie, he... (full context)

...homes. Willie, exhausted, falls asleep thinking about the boy he saw in the post office (Zach). (full context)

...is nearing dusk when, suddenly, Willie realizes that the curly-haired boy from the post office (Zach) has appeared. (full context)

The curly-haired boy introduces himself as Zacharias Wrench, though people call him Zach. Embarrassed by Zach’s keen stare, Willie goes back to... (full context)

Willie is utterly shocked to hear that Zach likes him: his mother only liked him when he was “invisible,” and no one else... (full context)

...and finds him outside in the dark. When Tom asks why Willie didn’t go indoors, Zach interjects, introduces himself, and explains that he “persuaded Will.” Tom asks who Will is, and... (full context)

Zach realizes it’s 9:00 p.m. and says that he has to leave. He asks Tom whether... (full context)

...time. They return to the cottage and are piling more earth on the shelter when Zach arrives, asking whether Willie “can come out and play.” When Tom notes that Willie is... (full context)

Tom tells Willie to go and play. Zach asks whether he can see inside the shelter before they go. As soon as Tom... (full context)

Zach tells them that he’s stuck in the shelter’s mud and needs to be pulled out.... (full context)

George, Carrie, and Ginnie lead the way toward Ivor’s farm. As Willie and Zach walk behind them, Zach whispers that the others seem rather standoffish. Willie points out that... (full context)

...likes reading and climbing trees, Ginnie likes collecting flowers and sewing, George likes fishing, and Zach likes acting and writing stories (though he never finishes them). Willie hopes the others will... (full context)

...day of school, Tom walks Willie to the lane and lets him go on alone. Zach meets him and the two boys walk to the village hall, where they meet George,... (full context)

Carrie has just invited Willie to come with them to the woods on Saturday when Zach bursts in, sees the other children, and asks whether it’s a “party.” Then Charlie Ruddles... (full context)

...He becomes absorbed in drawing the pulpit, not noticing when the rain stops or when Zach calls for him. Zach enters the church, peeks over Willie’s shoulder, and exclaims at his... (full context)

On the table stands a lot of food, including a birthday cake with candles. Zach excitedly asks Willie whether he guessed about the party, though Willie obviously had no idea.... (full context)

Everyone is sitting down to eat when Zach exclaims that no one has seen Willie’s picture yet. With some encouragement from Carrie and... (full context)

...reading to him. Sometimes, Emilia Thorne comes by and teaches Willie poems and vocabulary. Willie, Zach, George, Carrie, and Ginnie continue playing together. (full context)

One drizzly afternoon, Zach, Willie, George, Carrie, and Ginnie convene at the Littles’. Tom arrives with a suitcase for... (full context)

Zach opens the suitcase. Inside he finds a letter from his parents, chocolate and homemade cakes,... (full context)

Nancy Little, holding a piece of ceiling plaster, enters the room. When Zach starts apologizing for the damage, Nancy interrupts, telling him to keep it down. After she... (full context)

Zach passes around homemade cakes, and the group talks about where to meet next. The Littles... (full context)

When Willie and Zach are alone in Zach’s room, Zach asks Willie whether he minds if Zach reads the... (full context)

...and worried, so Tom asks him what’s wrong. Anxiously, Willie asks whether he can invite Zach, George, Carrie, and Ginnie over. Tom tells him yes: Willie can do what he likes... (full context)

After Tom and Willie eat supper, Zach arrives, and Zach and Willie carry Sammy up the ladder. Zach looks around the bedroom,... (full context)

Zach cuts in, announcing that Miss Thorne plans to direct “a children’s Christmas show for the... (full context)

Zach tells George he’d like to help with the choir, but it might be strange since... (full context)

...such as look for badgers. The others agree, though the girls display some hesitation. Then Zach asks whether they could go investigate Spooky Cott as they discussed earlier. George and the... (full context)

...brings up cookies, chestnuts, and lemonade for the children and takes Sammy down with him. Zach says that Willie’s lucky to have Tom—Willie smiles, perfectly aware of this fact—and that he’s... (full context)

In November, Tom helps out surrounding farms. All the evacuee children leave except Willie, Zach, the four children at the vicarage, and the King siblings on Hillbrook Farm. David Hartridge... (full context)

Miss Thorne’s Christmas show is A Christmas Carol. Zach, Carrie, and George have speaking roles, Ginnie makes costumes, and Willie paints scenery. Eventually, Willie... (full context)

...rehearse the scene several times, the other actors complain of fatigue—but Willie doesn’t feel tired. Zach tells him he’s a talented actor. Willie is confused: he just imagined he was someone... (full context)

...asks Willie to play Scrooge. Everyone looks at him with hope. Silently, he nods. When Zach cheers, Miss Thorne hushes him and says that they need to get to work. Yet... (full context)

...The pupils practice multiplication and then do an English lesson. During the latter, Carrie slips Zach a note, and Zach, reading it, whispers “Good luck” to her. When Willie, baffled by... (full context)

...Hartridge agrees and sends the other students on their recess break. Outside on the playground, Zach tells Willie how glad he is that they’re in the same class, and Ginnie says... (full context)

...next lessons to talk to her. At the next bell, they all rush outside, and Zach asks Carrie what happened. Carrie says Mrs. Hartridge told her she’d “make inquiries,” which means... (full context)

When the students return for afternoon classes, Zach asks Willie how he’s doing. Willie admits to feeling stupid, but Zach insists that he’s... (full context)

...After playing a little with Carrie, Ginnie, and George—who leaves early with a headache—Willie and Zach walk home together, chatting a great deal. (full context)

...Willie and the dog sprint exuberantly together. Later, after breakfast, Willie walks to school with Zach. At school, Carrie now sits in the back row with the 13-year-old pupils, though she’s... (full context)

...watching her belly expand. Yet this day he longs to finish school. After school, he, Zach, George, Carrie, and Ginnie convene at Zach’s, where they plan to explore Spooky Cott that... (full context)

...Willie protests that they’re his friends. When Mrs. Beech asks who they are, he mentions Zach, George, and “the twins.” Mrs. Beech asks whether they go to church. Willie says that... (full context)

...like blood and has been locked in a cupboard under the stairs. Thinking of Tom, Zach, and the baby girl, he feels that he has said goodbye to the “Willie” part... (full context)

...will heal before his emotional ones. Tom swears to give Will the help he needs—and Zach, bursting into the room, swears that he will too. (full context)

...him up to bed—the fifth time they’ve gone through this routine since Will got home. Zach visits Tom’s cottage several times, but Will is usually asleep when Zach arrives, and Tom... (full context)

...Will finishes his thought: “Everythin’ has its own time.” Tom goes to make breakfast. When Zach appears, Tom tells him he can see Will—after Will has eaten breakfast. Zach waits impatiently.... (full context)

Zach calls Will’s illness “romantic” and compares him to Keats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and the Brontës.... (full context)

When Zach mentions that Mrs. Hartridge had her baby, Will whitens and echoes, “A baby.” Zach, noticing... (full context)

Zach says that Dr. Little and Nancy Little have pulled out one of their children’s old... (full context)

When Zach has left, Tom sits on Will’s bed and asks Will what’s wrong. Will asks whether... (full context)

Will continues to get better. Zach, George, Carrie, Ginnie, and little Lucy visit him at home, though he often falls asleep... (full context)

...to do something he has been procrastinating about—yet before he does, he drops in on Zach at the Littles’, delaying further. Zach is working on the bicycle. Afterward, Will goes to... (full context)

In August, Tom, Will, and Zach bicycle to the seashore: Tom and Will on a tandem bicycle that carries Sammy in... (full context)

After looking into a used bookstore, Will, Tom, and Zach go sit on the beach for a while. When they get back to Mrs. Clarence’s... (full context)

After Zach and Will go to bed, Mrs. Clarence asks Tom whether Zach is his son’s friend.... (full context)

When Zach wakes up the next morning, Will is sitting in the window drawing the sea. Mrs.... (full context)

Meanwhile, the war gets worse. Zach’s mother now drives an ambulance while his father has joined the Auxiliary Fire Service, so... (full context)

On the last day of vacation, Zach goes to the beach by himself and prays aloud in Hebrew, which makes him feel... (full context)

The next morning, Tom, Zach, and Will say goodbye to Mrs. Clarence. When they arrive back in Little Weirwold after... (full context)

...before school starts, Will and his friends set out to explore Spooky Cott. Will and Zach go together, while George, Carrie, and Ginnie go another way. Will and Zach hear a... (full context)

Will and Zach approach the cottage, and Will points out that the door is open and music is... (full context)

Will and Zach introduce themselves. When wind shakes the trees, Geoffrey looks up at the stormy sky, comments... (full context)

...Geoffrey hands him a pencil and asks for a demonstration. When Will tries to demur, Zach comes to the doorway and says that Will’s an excellent artist. Will, flushing, goes outside... (full context)

...following week, Geoffrey says that he’s really talented and asks who teaches him. Will and Zach explain that their school doesn’t have enough teachers, with Mrs. Hartridge on maternity leave. After... (full context)

As it gets dark, Geoffrey, Zach, and Will make a fire, and Geoffrey puts the Brahms violin concerto he was playing... (full context)

Walking home, Will and Zach spot a car parked by the church. When Will enters Tom’s cottage, he sees not... (full context)

On the first day of school, Will and Zach go to the Thatchers’ to see Carrie in uniform off to her first day of... (full context)

When Will and Zach get to school, they find Geoffrey Sanderton with Miss Thorne. The adults are explaining a... (full context)

Zach leaves for London the next day. The day after, September 7, 1940, is Will’s birthday.... (full context)

Will avoids the Littles’ house and puts papers on Zach’s desk at school to make it look like he’s still there. During his art lessons... (full context)

Carrie is also grieving Zach, who helped her feel less like “an odd fish.” At high school, “posh” girls mock... (full context)

In January, Will finally comes to terms with Zach’s death. One day, when he walks to his art lesson with Geoffrey, Geoffrey asks what... (full context)

When Will tries to draw the photo, his hands start shaking. He remembers Zach riding his bright bicycle with his hands in the air. After three hours, he has... (full context)

Rather than go home, Will flees into the woods. When he feels Zach near him, he tells Zach he’s not there and never will be. He begins smashing... (full context)

...to her surprise. She offers him “mulled wine”—and then cuts herself off, as that was Zach’s joking name for blackcurrant juice. Will accepts the juice. Nancy tells Will that they’ve missed... (full context)

...due to the intensity of the bicycle’s colors or the fact that it belonged to Zach. (full context)

When Will at last rides the bicycle, he feels as though Zach is “inside him and very much alive.” He feels intensely excited and yells “Yippee! Callooh!... (full context)

Still as Zach, Will knocks forcefully on Mrs. Hartridge’s door. She opens it, crying but also sort of... (full context)

...dubious, she agrees to let Will try. In rehearsals, he privately consults with his inner Zach about how to play the role. Using this method, Will gives a performance as a... (full context)

...all Tom’s flowers and are replanting the beds with vegetables. One day, Will is wearing Zach’s old red jersey while planting seeds. Then Carrie runs up, flushed, and asks whether Will... (full context)

...in the dress she’s wearing. Will suggests she wear a pair of his shorts or Zach’s. Carrie likes his idea—she’s been wanting to wear shorts, though her mother says that she’ll... (full context)

...joins Carrie in his room. Will gets her a pair of shorts, a shirt, and Zach’s multicolored jersey. At first Carrie doesn’t want to wear it because it’s “special,” but when... (full context)

...he draws her, but after a moment, Carrie asks whether it’s weird that she’s wearing Zach’s clothes. Will points out that he himself is wearing some of Zach’s clothes. Carrie says... (full context)

...talks differently now. Though at first Carrie is upset, Will says she sounds more like Zach, which makes her happy. (full context)

Good Night, Mr. Tom

Zach Wrench Character Analysis

Zach Wrench Quotes in Good Night, Mr. Tom

Chapter 4: Equipped Quotes

Chapter 6: Zach Quotes

Chapter 7: An Encounter over Blackberries Quotes

Chapter 10: The Case Quotes

Chapter 11: Friday Quotes

Chapter 19: The Sea, The Sea, The Sea! Quotes

Chapter 22: Grieving Quotes

Zach Wrench Character Timeline in Good Night, Mr. Tom