The Thing About Georgie

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying, ableism, and death.

The primary theme of The Thing About Georgie is that nobody can be defined by any singular “thing.” Through the growth that Georgie does as he works out his feelings about his unborn sibling, the novel develops the idea that individuals are much more complex than anyone can define. The phrasing in the title that defines the “thing” about people shows up several times in the first third of the book, usually framed through Georgie’s eyes. Georgie observes that “[t]he thing about Jeanette Wallace […] [i]s that she [i]s mean” (2), and “[t]he thing about Andy Moretti […] [i]s that he [i]s Italian” (4). The end of the first chapter answers the question that the title poses regarding what Georgie’s “thing” is: “[T]he thing was, Georgie Bishop was a dwarf” (6). This line defines Georgie by his disability.

Georgie’s “thing” is in direct contrast with his parents’ “thing,” which is that they are professional musicians in an orchestra. His parents’ love of music is written on his nursery walls in a poem that guesses which instrument Georgie will eventually use to join the family band.