Sunny Side Up

One of Sunny’s main obstacles is her tendency to keep things to herself instead of honestly sharing her grievances, worries, and pain. She hides her concerns about Dale from everyone around her, making it impossible for others to help her process her difficult feelings. It is important to note that she has learned this maladaptive approach from both Dale and her parents. Sunny’s parents do not talk to her about what is happening to Dale and to their family, and Dale has pressured Sunny to participate in his lies to his parents. Additionally, instead of being honest with Sunny about the very serious reasons for her trip to Florida, her mother presents it as “something even more fun” (192) for her to do instead of the vacation to the shore with her best friend. This kind of obfuscation results from her mother’s reluctance to address the family’s serious problems, but her reticence leaves Sunny no space to be honest in return. Rather than expressing how she feels, she believes that she must hide her worries and disappointment in order to avoid upsetting her mother. When she arrives in Florida, she continues this pattern with Pat by pretending that she enjoys the boring errands and that she believes he really has quit smoking. Not wanting to cause anyone else upset or embarrassment, she pretends that everything is “terrific” (44). Sunny is so used to pretending that everything is fine that she hides her concerns from her best friend, Deb, and she does not even mention Dale’s existence to Teezy, Ethel, or Buzz. This pattern of keeping things to herself leaves her struggling alone with her worries about her grandfather’s health, her confusion and hurt over Dale’s behavior, and her misguided guilt over her own perceived role in Dale’s troubles.

Slowly, Sunny begins to notice how many secrets others around her are keeping. At first, she merely takes note, but as the burden of her own secrets grows intolerable, she begins to find others’ secrets more distressing. Early in her visit, when she realizes that many of the elderly residents of Pine Palms are secretly keeping cats in violation of the community’s rules, she is surprised but not upset. When she finds a pack of Pat’s cigarettes hidden in the box of breakfast cereal, she is dismayed but moves on quickly. By Chapter 14, however, the discovery of yet more hidden cigarettes makes Sunny angry enough to confront Pat directly. His continuing evasion of her questions combines with memories of Dale’s manipulations and creates a pressure that leads Sunny to proclaim Swamp Thing her favorite superhero because “What you see is what you get. No disguises or secrets” (160). In the very next chapter, she wonders how superheroes manage to “keep all that inside” (160), and it is clear that she is very close to exploding due to the weight of all the secrets she is keeping. Eventually, she “erupts” and tells her grandfather that things are “NOT terrific!” (196), and her secrets all come to the surface. Once these hidden truths are out in the open and she has expressed her worries about Dale, Sunny feels better and gains access to the support she needs. Pat promises to quit smoking, checks out the squeaky bed, and explains what is happening in her home. Finally relieved of the weight of her secrets, Sunny is able to fully enjoy her last few days in Florida, and she returns home with new confidence and optimism.