Food is a motif that appears again and again throughout the novel. The sections of the novel themselves are associated with the food served in school on that particular day of the week. As such, food is a very important concept for both characters, although it plays a greater role in Joe’s life, primarily because he is always hungry. One of the ways in which Joe communicates how upset he is—especially at his mother and her actions in school—is by losing his appetite; that is, Joe’s refusal to eat demonstrates just how much something affects him:

My appetite must be coming back, because I drink my milk and eat the rest of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and when I’m done, I’m still hungry. Thursday is macaroni and cheese day at Einstein. That’s the only part of school I’m sorry to miss today (151).

Joe’s favorite part about school is lunch, where Joe seems to be able to eat as much as he needs to. The way in which Joe conceptualizes the world around him is through the lens of food, which he seems to always be thinking about.

Within the novel, the characters interact with each other through the medium of food.