Breadcrumbs

The baseball autographed by Joe Mauer symbolizes Jack’s heart—his most authentic self. The boy obtains his “most prized possession” as part of a wonderful experience with his father at a Twins game (39). The father-son bond, Jack’s passion for the sport, and his admiration for his favorite athlete all contribute to the baseball’s personal significance and association with love. In one of the novel’s greatest moments of generosity and compassion, Jack gives this treasure to Hazel in an attempt to console her after her parents’ divorce. Anne Ursu cements the object’s symbolic meaning through a simile comparing the baseball to Jack’s “still-beating heart” (39). Despite her relative disinterest in sports, Hazel intuitively understands that the ball is a “magical object” imbued with the power of Jack’s love, and she reinforces its importance by bringing it on her rescue mission.

The baseball plays a vital role in the novel’s resolution as the object Hazel uses to restore Jack to himself in the white witch’s palace. By returning the object to its original owner, the novel’s protagonist fulfills the prediction Uncle Martin asserts that the way to save Jack is “to show [him] what’s good” and “show [him] love” (106).