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Gordon KormanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan, one of the generation of gods who preceded and fought a war against the Olympians. After the Olympians’ victory, Zeus punished Atlas by forcing him to hold up the sky for eternity. In artistic renderings, Atlas is typically depicted holding a globe that represents the celestial spheres.
In Ungifted, a statue of Atlas holding a globe stands on Hardcastle’s campus. A company called Classical Bronze Foundries, which eventually went bankrupt, created the statue. Its design is flawed; a single bolt connects the more than 400-pound globe to Atlas’s shoulders. When Donovan smashes a tree branch against the statue, the bolt collapses, causing the globe to roll down a hill and crash into the school gym during a basketball game. The school’s insurance company, Parthenon Insurance Group, initially resists paying for repairs due to the design flaw. Atlas serves a symbolic function. The flawed and broken Atlas statue symbolizes Donovan’s humbling. After the accident and his lucky escape from Dr. Shultz, he feels “the presence of that bent-over Atlas,” and resists the impulse to engage in further pranks. He worries in particular about the consequences in regard to his parents, who are going through challenging times.
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