The Enormous Egg

The extraordinary circumstances that surround Uncle Beazley’s hatching necessarily create challenges, as Nate must cope with uncertainty, public scrutiny, and his own unmet expectations. Despite these examples of adversity, Nate persists, discovering a supportive community in his family and Dr. Ziemer and coming into his own as an individual. 

This tension between persistence and adversity arrives in the very beginning of the novel, when Nate first discovers the egg and commits to its care. Though Nate describes his routine as an “awful chore” (9), he still rotates the egg several times a day, so that it might be evenly warmed. However, by the end of four weeks—long past the typical incubation period for a hen’s egg—nothing has changed. By this point, even Mom and Pop are urging Nate to give up, describing the egg as a “lost cause” (16) and suggesting that he donate it to a museum. Nate, however, refuses, deciding to “give that egg just one more week” (16). And even after that week has elapsed, Nate still refuses to give up, though his patience has begun to thin. Finally, at the end of six weeks, Uncle Beazley hatches, rewarding Nate for his persistence amidst troubling odds. 

Inspired by his success, Nate similarly weathers other examples of adversity, from logistical challenges to local naysayers.