Interconnectedness is one of the main themes in the novel Whirligig. Our actions, no matter how big or small, have an effect not only on ourselves but also have an effect on the people and the world around us.

How does the influence of others impact our own lives? I associate this question with Interconnectedness and Brent in Whirligig because throughout the book so far we are seeing that Brent’s actions, both good and bad, have an effect on others. Brent’s journey started when he went to a party hoping to gain acceptance into the ‘popular’ group of students. Instead he gets rejected and humiliated. He storms out of the party in a drunken haze, gets in his car, and tries to kill himself. However he accidentally kills another girl, Lea, whom he later figures is part of his karass. Now he is on a journey of repentance. He is traveling to the four corners of the United States to build and place whirligigs in Lea’s memory. Along the way Brent is meeting new people that will end up being part of his karass. As the reader we see that these whirligigs not only affect Brent, but also affect Steph, Alexandra and the Puerto Rican man. “Everything we did – good, bad, and indifferent – sent a wave rolling out of sight.” (P.70) This quote from Whirligig talks about how our actions are waves, reaching far beyond what we can see. They have a ripple effect, expanding outwards reaching more and more people. Brent’s actions reach Steph, Alexandra, and the Puerto Rican man in the form of the whirligigs. The Puerto Rican man is having a hard time finding peace at home; he goes out to the water for the afternoon in hopes of finding it. He ends up finding a whirligig of a marching band, that Brent made. This is when he realizes that people have to live in groups. Even though there is fighting and anger in the world, there is also kindness and peace. There has to be a balance in life. “We never know all the consequences of our acts.” (P.38) When Brent puts up the whirligigs he doesn’t realize the impact that it will have on other people, his actions changed the Puerto Rican man’s views on life.

Karass definition: a network or group of people who are somehow affiliated or linked spiritually