83 pages • 2 hours read
Mr. Popper's Penguins
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Chapters 13-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “Money Worries”
Mrs. Popper tells her husband that she is happy that he is enjoying his vacation from work, but she is very worried about money. The engineer who installed the freezing plant in the cellar comes to the door asking for payment and the bills for the live fish are very high. She says that “[p]ractically all” (84) of their money is gone and wonders if they could eat the penguins when they have nothing left. Her husband assures her that she does not mean that, and he suggests that they train the penguins to perform an act in theaters.
The following day, they have Mrs. Popper’s piano moved to the basement. She and her husband create an act for the birds to perform. When Mrs. Popper plays a certain tune, the birds know which tricks they should do. The act includes the birds marching like soldiers to the tune of Schubert’s “Military March,” having two penguins conduct a flipper fight to the accompaniment of “Merry Widow Waltz,” and allowing the group to toboggan down from ladders while “By the Brook” is played. Due to the freezing basement temperature, Mrs. Popper learns to play her instrument while wearing gloves.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Mr. Greenbaum”
Mr. Popper notices an announcement in the newspaper that says Mr. Greenbaum, the owner of a number of theaters, is visiting Stillwater. The family decides to bring the penguins to meet him, and the Poppers travel on a public bus. The penguins behave nicely, “sitting quietly two in a seat, while the other passengers looked on” (92). Mr. Popper apologizes to the riders, but he announces that he must open all the windows so that the birds will be cool enough. Some of the passengers complain to the driver, who directs Mr. Popper to remove his pets from the bus.
Mr. Greenbaum meets with the family and the penguins, who are “standing politely in two rows of six each” (94), and he says, “It looks like an act” (94). He asks Mrs. Popper to play the piano so that he can see the penguins perform.
Chapters 13-14 Analysis
Mr. Popper continues to behave idealistically, providing treats for the penguins without regard for finances; however, Mrs. Popper is pragmatic and advises him that they have spent almost all their money. It is an important reflection upon Mr. Popper’s character that he appears to have no idea that the family is almost without funds. When his practical wife muses that they may have to eat the penguins, he tells her that she does not mean that and devises a plan.
His solution is an effective blending of childlike enthusiasm, artistic talent, and the ability to make use of available resources effectively. He creates an act for the birds based upon their favorite pastimes: marching, fighting with flippers, and tobogganing.
Mrs. Popper plays specific melodies to cue the penguins to begin particular parts of the act. This mode of training, used frequently when shaping animal behavior, is known as “operant conditioning.” The animal comes to associate a specific stimulus, in this case, a particular piano piece, with performing a certain task, such as tobogganing. Consequently, trained animals can learn to perform particular tricks when they hear a specific sound or see a particular image or color.
Mr. Popper becomes more serious about producing income, and he brings the penguins to meet Mr. Greenbaum, the owner of numerous theaters. One way Mr. Popper remains the same, however, is in his oblivion regarding the reactions of strangers to the needs of his penguins. For example, he opens all the windows on the public bus, apologizing to the riders but explaining that the birds need cold air. He is somewhat nonplussed when they complain to the driver, and he is subsequently directed to take his penguins and exit the bus. Nonetheless, it appears that he has generated a successful, profitable idea. Mr. Greenbaum is eager to see the penguins perform.
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