Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying and physical abuse.

Piddy’s repeated references to elephants emphasize that the animal symbolizes comfort, particularly as she grapples with The Impact of Bullying on Mental Health. The day Yaqui hurls chocolate milk at her, Piddy walks to her old apartment: “My feet must have gone on autopilot. I’m like one of those African elephants that finds her way home, no matter how far she’s roamed” (43). Home is somewhere a person feels safe and loved. The old building is that place for Piddy. Comparing herself to a roaming elephant represents comfort because, like the animal, Piddy has navigated to a safe space without thinking. At school, when Ms. Shepherd reads Piddy’s writing aloud, she is embarrassed because she does not want to draw attention to herself: “Let’s face it: standing out can only make a new kid public enemy number one. Then what? I’ll be accused of being stuck-up and a suck-up. Better to blend into the herd. (Elephant wisdom never fails.)” (31). By associating anonymity at a new school with elephants, Piddy reinforces the idea that elephants, and their accompanying wisdom, provide solace. It is safer if she does not stand out and blends with the herd of students.