Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

Throughout her narrative, DiCamillo positions the moon as a symbol of guidance and nurture. When Leroy first returns home with Maybelline, he wonders what to do, briefly closing his eyes—“what he [sees is] Patty LeMarque. Her face [is] as big as the moon, and her mouth [is] opening and closing, and opening and closing” (45). Leroy remembers Patty’s advice about Maybelline, represented by the opening and closing of her mouth. By comparing her face to the moon, he links her role as mentor to the nighttime orb. Later, deciding not to leave Maybelline alone, Leroy curls up to sleep at her feet. While he dozes, he dreams that “the moon was looking down at [him] and Maybelline, and it was smiling at them” (50). Leroy’s image of the moon smiling and looking down upon them reinforces its symbolic significance as a nurturing guardian. DiCamillo also highlights this symbolism in moments when the moon is notably absent. For example, after Maybelline bolts during the storm and Leroy cannot find her, DiCamillo notes: “In the darkness, the horse went one way. And the cowboy, alas, went the other” (67).