Gramps Character Analysis in Walk Two Moons

Gramps is Sal’s grandfather, Dad’s father, and Gram’s husband. Sal describes her grandparents as good, kind people who nevertheless attract trouble wherever they go. Over the course of their lifetime, they’ve been arrested for stealing a senator’s tires and pulled over for driving on the shoulder of the road. This is one of the reasons why, Sal believes, Dad wants her to go on the road trip to Lewiston with them—Sal will be able to keep them in line. As Sal and her grandparents drive west, Sal hears about their early relationship. Gramps was smitten with Gram the moment he saw her when they were teenagers—and she agreed to marry him when he admitted that he sometimes sang to his beagle. When they were married, the couple received their “marriage bed.” This bed belonged to Gramps’s parents first, and Gramps was born in it in addition to all of his and Gram’s children. Every night when he and Gram get into bed in motels, Gramps pats the bed and says, “this ain’t our marriage bed, but it’ll do.” Sal sees their marriage bed as a symbol of her grandparents’ love and devotion to each other. During their trip, Gramps often pulls off the road to see tourist attractions, nap, or cool off in nearby bodies of water. This habit annoys Sal—and it even proves dangerous when, in the Missouri River, a poisonous water moccasin bites Gram’s leg. But Gramps continues to pull over at every place of interest—and Sal eventually realizes that Gramps is purposefully stopping everywhere that Momma did when Momma headed west on the bus. Gramps’s devotion to Gram, and his trust in Sal, becomes apparent when Gram falls ill, and in Coeur D’Alene, doctors discover that she had a stroke. Gramps stays in the hospital with Gram and gives Sal the car keys, knowing that Sal—whom he taught to drive on the family farm several years ago—is going to complete the drive to Lewiston. After Sal and Gramps return to Bybanks, Gramps moves in with Sal and Dad. He continues to teach Sal to drive. They regularly play the “moccasin game” (a reference to the titular saying “Don’t judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins”), in which they think about other people’s perspectives.

Gramps Quotes in Walk Two Moons

The Walk Two Moons quotes below are all either spoken by Gramps or refer to Gramps. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Judgment, Perspective, and Storytelling Theme Icon

My long hair floated all around me. My mother’s hair had been long and black, like mine, but a week before she left, she cut it. My father said to me, “Don’t cut yours, Sal. Please don’t cut yours.”

My mother said, “I knew you wouldn’t like it if I cut mine.”

My father said, “I didn’t say anything about yours.”

“But I know what you’re thinking,” she said.

“I loved your hair, Sugar,” he said.

I saved her hair. I swept it up from the kitchen floor and wrapped it in a plastic bag and hid it beneath the floorboards of my room. It was still there, along with the postcards she sent.

Related Characters: Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle (speaker), Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle (speaker), Dad (speaker), Gram, Gramps

Related Symbols: Hair

Page Number and Citation: 85

Explanation and Analysis:

The morning after my father learned that my mother was not coming back, he left for Lewiston, Idaho. Gram and Gramps came to stay with me. I had pleaded to go along, but my father said he didn’t think I should have to go through that. That day I climbed up into the maple and watched the singing tree, waiting for it to sing. I stayed there all day and on into the early evening. It did not sing.

At dusk, Gramps placed three sleeping bags at the foot of the tree, and he, Gram, and I slept there all night. The tree did not sing.

Related Characters: Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle (speaker), Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle, Dad, Gram, Gramps

Related Symbols: The Singing Tree

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

“So you didn’t leave Gramps just because of the cussing?”

“Salamanca, I don’t even remember why I did that. Sometimes you know in your heart you love someone, but you have to go away before your head can figure it out.”

Related Characters: Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle (speaker), Gram (speaker), Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle, Dad, Gramps

Page Number and Citation: 143

Explanation and Analysis:

I knew Phoebe was convinced that her mother was kidnapped because it was impossible for Phoebe to imagine that her mother could leave for any other reason. I wanted to call Phoebe and say that maybe her mother had gone looking for something, maybe her mother was unhappy, maybe there was nothing Phoebe could do about it.

When I told this part to Gram and Gramps, Gramps said, “You mean it had nothing to do with Peeby?” They looked at each other. They didn’t say anything, but there was something in that look that suggested I had just said something important. For the first time, it occurred to me that maybe my mother’s leaving had nothing whatsoever to do with me. It was separate and apart. We couldn’t own our mothers.

Related Characters: Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle (speaker), Gramps (speaker), Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle, Gram, Phoebe Winterbottom, Mrs. Margaret Cadaver, Mrs. Winterbottom, The Lunatic/Mike Bickle

Page Number and Citation: 164

Explanation and Analysis:

Lately, I’ve been wondering if there might be something hidden behind the fireplace, because just as the fireplace was behind the plaster wall and my mother’s story was behind Phoebe’s, I think there was a third story behind Phoebe’s and my mother’s, and that was about Gram and Gramps.

Related Characters: Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle (speaker), Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle, Dad, Gram, Gramps, Phoebe Winterbottom, Mrs. Winterbottom

Related Symbols: The Fireplace

Page Number and Citation: 254

Explanation and Analysis:

Gramps Character Timeline in Walk Two Moons

The timeline below shows where the character Gramps appears in Walk Two Moons. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

According to Gramps, Sal is “a country girl at heart.” This is true: Sal has lived most of... (full context)

After Sal and Phoebe’s adventure, Gram and Gramps decide to drive from Kentucky to Ohio to get Sal, and from there, drive west... (full context)

Parents, Children, and Growing Up Theme Icon

Sal is going on the trip for three reasons. First, Gram and Gramps want to see Momma, who’s “resting peacefully” in Lewiston. Second, Gram and Gramps know that... (full context)

...try on Momma’s birthday. Sal doesn’t say this out loud, as she knows that Dad, Gramps, and Gram will tell her she’s silly. (full context)

Back in the car on the Ohio Turnpike, Gram asks Sal to entertain her and Gramps, maybe with a story. Sal tries to think of one that her grandparents haven’t heard;... (full context)

...name was Gloria, and Gloria lived “in the wildest, most pepped up world.” Gram and Gramps argue; Gloria tried to discourage Gram from marrying Gramps, supposedly because she liked Gramps too.... (full context)

...at a rest area seems safe in comparison to stealing tires in D.C. But then, Gramps notices a woman poking at her engine. Gallantly, Gramps goes to help the woman. He... (full context)

Gramps reminds Sal that she was just about to tell them what Phoebe thought happened to... (full context)

Gramps shouts as he passes the Illinois state line; he pronounces it “Ill-ah-no-way.” Gram wants to... (full context)

...Dad. Sal refuses; she doesn’t want him to think she’s a “goose.” The next morning, Gramps gets lost leaving Chicago, but they finally find the road heading west. The plan is... (full context)

Once Gramps is on the right road, Gram asks Sal to continue her story about Phoebe and... (full context)

Back in the car with Gram and Gramps, Gramps suddenly pulls off the freeway to rest in Madison, Wisconsin. Gram says she feels... (full context)

Gram keeps saying, “Huzza, huzza!” as she, Gramps, and Sal walk around Madison. They get sandwiches, ice cream, and blueberry muffins. Sal hears... (full context)

Finally, Gramps says it’s time to get back on the road. But not long after they get... (full context)

When Sal opens her eyes, Gram is gone. Sal panics, thinking Gram and Gramps left her. She pushes through the crowd and finds signs for three different parking areas.... (full context)

Gram, Gramps, and Sal leave Wisconsin the next morning and enter Minnesota. Gramps is thrilled to have... (full context)

For the most part, Gram and Gramps sit quietly and listen to Sal’s story about Phoebe. But when Sal tells them about... (full context)

Later, when Sal talks about Ben asking after Momma, Gram and Gramps give each other a look. Gramps says that once, his father ran away for six... (full context)

Not long before they hit the South Dakota border, Gramps heads north toward the Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. Gramps insists this is a once-in-a-lifetime... (full context)

Sal, Gram, and Gramps watch “American Indian persons” making pipes out of stone. Outside of a museum, there’s a... (full context)

Gramps gets them a room at Injun Joe’s Peace Palace Motel for the night. By now,... (full context)

The story of the marriage bed starts when Gramps is 17. He met Gram that summer. Gram was young and wild, and Gramps followed... (full context)

Three months later, Gram and Gramps got married. During those three months, Gramps, his father, and his brothers built a house... (full context)

Next, Sal tells Gram and Gramps about Mr. Birkway, her English teacher. Mr. Birkway is energetic and loves English. His eyes... (full context)

It’s extremely hot in South Dakota. Gram and Gramps start unbuttoning their clothes, and finally, Gramps stops at the Missouri River. Gram and Gramps... (full context)

...boy appears on the bank. He has a big bowie knife in his belt, and Gramps tells Sal and Gram to get behind him. If Phoebe were here, she’d think the... (full context)

The veins in Gramps’s neck are standing out. He tells the boy to watch what Sal can do. Sal... (full context)

Gramps carries Gram out of the water, tells her to put the snake down, and takes... (full context)

A bit later, Sal goes in to see Gram. Gramps is on the bed with her, stroking her arm. A nurse comes in and makes... (full context)

The next morning, the doctors release Gram from the hospital. Gramps wants her to stay another day, but Gram is too “cantankerous.” Sal figures that fear... (full context)

As Gramps checks Gram out of the hospital, Sal suggests they call Dad, but Gramps refuses—he doesn’t... (full context)

...birdsong and exclaims that it’s the singing tree. She says this is a good sign. Gramps gets back on the road, headed for the Badlands. The whispers Sal hears stop telling... (full context)

Sal doesn’t mention Dad much as she tells Phoebe’s story to Gram and Gramps. Dad is one of four sons, but his three brothers have died. Dad is good,... (full context)

So, as Sal tells Phoebe’s story to Gram and Gramps, she leaves out everything about Dad. They already know that Dad felt he had to... (full context)

Gramps is worried about Gram, but he’s not worried about her snake bite—rather, Gram’s breathing is... (full context)

...Gram is so raspy and out of breath that she can’t get out “Huzza, huzza.” Gramps puts a blanket down for her to sit on. Sal remembers the two postcards Momma... (full context)

As Sal tells her story, a pregnant woman stands nearby. Gramps invites the woman to sit on their blanket. Since Sal is afraid of pregnant women,... (full context)

...was calling for her. Eventually, Momma found Sal, carried her home, and called Gram and Gramps to take Sal to the hospital. (full context)

Back in the present, Sal looks at Gram, Gramps, and the pregnant woman. She imagines that the woman is Momma, and that everything will... (full context)

Gramps swears at a driver who cuts him off as they leave the Badlands. Usually, when... (full context)

Gramps stops that night at a motel near Wall, South Dakota. The only room left has... (full context)

...the Finneys don’t have any. As Sal eats, she remembers that eating at Gram and Gramps’s house in Bybanks felt a lot like eating at the Finneys’. Maybe Momma wanted a... (full context)

As Sal gets to this point in the story, Gram and Gramps exchange a look. And it occurs to Sal that maybe Momma’s departure didn’t have anything... (full context)

...to rush again. She only has two days to make it to Lewiston. She tells Gramps they need to hurry, and as he tells her there’s no deadline, Gram gives him... (full context)

...“white faces” in their hill. The carvers should’ve added some Native Americans, too. Gram and Gramps seem just as disappointed, so Gramps speeds ahead. They’re in Wyoming by late afternoon, and... (full context)

Gramps exclaims that Phoebe’s family was very sad, while Gram says that Sal seems to have... (full context)

Gramps drives quickly through Wyoming. The trees and the rivers whisper to Sal to hurry up.... (full context)

Gram is too excited to sleep, so she rambles. She asks Gramps if he remembers the letter from the egg man that he found under the mattress.... (full context)

Gram and Gramps still aren’t sleepy, so Sal agrees to tell one more part of the story before... (full context)

...she’s sleepy yet. Gram isn’t, but she tells Sal to go to sleep and tells Gramps to say this isn’t their marriage bed. He complies. (full context)

Sal believes this next day is the best and worst of Gram and Gramps’s lives. Momma’s birthday is tomorrow, and there’s a lot of driving left to do. Gram... (full context)

...water far up in the air. Gram is entranced and stands in the spray, shouting. Gramps is watching Gram. Gram is sniff ling when they get back in the car; she... (full context)

...on the map, but all of Montana is mountains. The road snakes along cliffs, and Gramps regularly encounters camp trailers. Sal thinks the scenery is beautiful, but she’s terrified. At every... (full context)

At this point in Sal’s story, Gramps shouts, “I-dee-hoo!” as they cross the state line into Idaho. Sal finally believes she’s going... (full context)

...all that’s still happening. Gram closes her eyes for the last hour of the drive. Gramps and Sal listen to her breathing, and Sal observes that Gram looks a bit gray. (full context)

In Coeur D’Alene, Gramps drives right to the hospital. According to the doctors, Gram had a stroke. Gramps insists... (full context)

...with the beagle, she wonders if Gram’s stroke happened because of the snake bite. Does Gramps feel guilty for stopping at the river? Sal wonders again if Momma’s baby wouldn’t have... (full context)

...Gram after midnight. Gram is still gray, and according to a nurse, she can’t hear. Gramps tells Sal that they’re going to be in the hospital for a while, so he... (full context)

Sal picks her way back to the car and discovers the sheriff parked behind Gramps’s car. The deputy scolds Sal for playing on the bus, but then the sheriff asks... (full context)

The sheriff doesn’t take Sal to jail. Instead, he and the deputy drive Sal and Gramps’s truck to Coeur D’Alene, though he does lecture her about driving without a license. Then,... (full context)

...out of the hospital. The sheriff gives Sal an envelope. Inside is a note from Gramps explaining that Gram died early this morning. It lists his motel address. When Sal gets... (full context)

...suitcase. She picks up Gram’s baby powder and notices a crumpled letter on the desk. Gramps explains that it’s a love letter; he wrote it last night. Then, Gramps says he... (full context)

Now, Sal and Dad are back living in Bybanks. Gramps lives with them, and Gram is buried where she and Gramps were married. These days,... (full context)

The day after Gram’s funeral, Gloria came to visit Gramps. The two sat on the porch, and Gramps talked about Gram for hours. Gloria eventually... (full context)

Gramps is still giving Sal driving lessons. They drive around with Gramps’s new beagle puppy, Huzza... (full context)

One afternoon, after Sal tells Gramps about Prometheus and Pandora, Gramps explains that myths emerge so that people can explain things... (full context)

...the postcards when she and Dad came home, and she discovered that she, Gram, and Gramps saw every sight Momma did. These days, as Sal drives Gramps around, she tells him... (full context)