Analysis Of Jonah Skidmore's Character In 'Found'

The novel Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix has many characters throughout the entire story, however one character can be considered a best friend. His name is Jonah Skidmore and he is Chip Winston’s best friend. This point can be proven on page 17 when Jonah narrates “He and Chip weren’t really good friends yet,” (Haddix 17). Nonetheless, though when he says this Jonah is actually foreshadowing the fact that he and Chip will be friends is imminent. Later then in the story the foreshadow comes true when Jonah says ‘“You should have thought of that before you zapped Chip,” Jonah said. “You should have known that we’d stick together.”’ (Haddix 12) This quote is explaining how Jonah is telling whoever zapped Chip should have been smart enough

to realize they were best friends and they weren’t going to let each other go to back in time without separating. Aforementioned Jonah could be considered Chip’s best friend because he does whatever he can, even in a tough situation, to protect Chip. All facts considered a character trait that could describe Jonah would be very dependable. The reader can figure this point out when Chip is on page 314 when Chip says to Jonah ““Wow, when you make a promise, you really keep it.” Promise? Jonah wondered. What promise? The he remembered what he’s told Chip right after he found out he was adopted. I swear, I’ll do everything I can to help you.” (Haddix 314). This quote makes Jonah a dependable best friend because even after he forgot his promise he still kept it by protecting Chip when they were in the 21st century and the 15th. When Jonah keeps his promise toward Chip throughout the entire book, it can make him a best friend because it shows he really does care and is willing to put another person's needs before his own all the time. In conclusion, in the novel Found, Jonah is Chip’s best friend. He sticks by his side, is dependable and always keeps his promises toward Chip.
One of the main settings in the book is in Jonah and Chip’s neighborhood of Liston, Ohio. The setting of the novel is quite ideal for the characters and the events. As the reader it is a place I would consider visiting. I would consider it because of how it seems to be an everyday, average, nice neighborhood. Nothing seems dangerous or too out of the ordinary for anyone living there, therefore seeming to make it a nice place to visit and/or live. The reader can support this idea even on page one when the facts that Jonah, Chip, and Jonah’s sister Katherine are playing basketball in the Skidmore’s driveway. It narrates, “bouncing the ball low against the driveway,” (Haddix 1) This quote is describing how the three friends are playing basketball in each others driveway just to hang out and have fun. The setting of this is ideal because along with the events going on and the place they are happening go together extremely well.
The main conflict in the book is simply Jonah and Chip, two best friends, trying to figure out who they really are.

This type of conflict can be characterized as a man vs. self battle. In this novel alone, the conflict never really ends up being solved, but it does improve. “What if I really am supposed to have some other identity,” he wondered. “The identity of a boy who’s… missing?” (Haddix 227) This part of the novel is happening when Jonah and Chip and Katherine all go to the family adoption counseling before they are sucked back in time. In the beginning of the story, Jonah knew he was adopted and did not question his own identity at all. As the story progresses, however, he begins to wonder more and more about who he really is. As the book nears the end, the conflict seems to be slightly resolved, but makes less and less sense. This is when JB tells the kids while they are in the time cave that they are missing children from the past. At the point of this in the novel, both Chip and Jonah find out who they are, as in they are children taken from the past, but in reality only Chip finds out who he is from back in time. These events resolve pieces to the problem because both friends find out who they are, or who they are supposed to be. It is not fully solves, however because of the fact that both Jonah and Chip were trying to find out who they are during the 21st century. The thirteen year old basketball playing boys still never found out who they are supposed to be as normal kids, but they did find out who they were meant to be, as the kids from the past. A song that could describe this novel would be the song Drops of Jupiter by Taylor Swift. This song can relate to the conflict in the story because of the lyrics in the chorus of the song. “Tell me did you fall for a shooting star, One without a permanent scar, And did you miss me while you were, looking for yourself out there” (Swift). This song describes how someone is telling the story of another person

trying to discover who they are, by metaphorically taking a trip Jupiter and outer space to find who they. This relates to how the conflict in the book is also man vs. self. The lyrics “when you're looking for yourself out there” is the main line that makes the listener realize that the song is about someone trying to discover themselves.
The theme in Found that tends to be the most obvious is never give up on what you believe in This point can be proven throughout the text specifically near the end of the story when the boys are in the time and all they have to believe in is their past selves. “So help me, JB. If you don’t tell me who you are, right now,” Chip fumed, “I’ll scream so loud that you could hear me in two centuries!” (Haddix 318) This is describing the point at how both Chip and Jonah are both very persistent when it comes to either argument or what they think is right. In the heat of this moment in the book the boys were going to the 15th century to let Chip and Alex, another boy, live as their past selves. This quote is said how they don’t give up on what they believe in because you read Chip being very argumentative and temperamental about this topic about who he is. Jonah does not find out who he is in this story specifically, but he goes back in time with Chip to help his friend discover who he is. The boys wanted to know who they are, and did not stop at anything, and giving up was not even an option for them. In conclusion, the novel Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix has many parts that make it a successful book, including characterization, setting, conflict and theme.