The Seventh Most Important Thing

Arthur finds a mirror and a table (wood) right off the bat. He realizes that finding some of the other things on the list will be more difficult and that he’ll actually have to open trash cans. In the first can he opens, he finds foil dinner trays right on top, “like they were waiting for him” (73). The rest of the day is also successful in terms of finding things. Arthur even finds lightbulbs; though, he’d been ready to give up. Arthur hauls the cart back to the garage, feeling for the first time that the items on the list aren’t “totally random and pointless” (75).

When Arthur gets home, his mother tells him they’re going to put up the Christmas tree. Arthur doesn’t want to put up the tree because it reminds him of his dad but brings the tree down from the attic, anyway. Once the tree is downstairs, Arthur’s mother offers to help put it together, but Arthur says he can do it. He “wanted to be sad and angry at his dad by himself” (79). His mother looks upset, so Arthur changes his mind.

Arthur starts putting branches in the bottom part of the tree, and the whole thing falls over on top of him.