IDK what to put here...
Melody’s guilty narration and assumption of blame create an expectation: we know something tragic is going to happen. The grim weather acts as a plot device that precipitates Melody’s mother’s frustration at having to haul the manual wheelchair into the SUV. The thunderstorm also justifies why Melody doesn’t have her Medi-Talker and is thus unable to communicate the danger to her mother.
It has been hinted through the narrative that Melody’s sister Penny is eager to escape the house and pretend she is going to work. In the novel’s second climactic scene, Penny manages to escape without Penny’s mother or father having noticed. In a prolonged instance of dramatic irony, the reader understands that Penny’s life is in danger while Melody’s mother’s frustration and anger keep her oblivious to Melody’s warning kicks and scratches.
Melody’s guilt is drawn out as Penny’s health status remains unknown. In her desperation, Melody says to Mrs. V that she believes no one would miss her if she were gone, a statement that acknowledges the extent to which Melody’s self-image has been determined by the negative ways people respond to her presence. Melody confesses that she would prefer to be normal, to which Mrs. V insists that there is nothing great about being normal, a statement that will resonate for Melody in the final chapter.
