The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

“It was a look that communicated everything they shared: the dangers, hardships, and triumphs of their mission, of course, but also the knowledge—as isolating when they were alone as it was thrilling when they were together—that they understood things about the world that no one else did, things they might never speak of except to each other.”

All four children in the Mysterious Benedict Society share a special connection because of their adventures in the previous book. The events of The Mysterious Benedict Society have bonded Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance together for life, allowing them to work efficiently as a team. By emphasizing this bond early in the narrative, the author sets the stage for the many challenges to come and implies that the intervention of adult characters will be relegated to a secondary role.

“And where most people see mirrors, you, my friend, see windows. By which I mean there is always something beyond the glass.”

Mr. Benedict appreciates the children’s special talents and recognizes that they think differently from other people. He understands that their unusual skills and aptitudes will place increasing burdens on them as they grow up, even as they benefit from their various talents. Because they will forever be different from most of their peers, their connection to each other and to the society will remain vital to their well-being as they mature.

“Have you considered the possibility, Reynie, that wickedness is simply more noticeable than goodness? That wickedness stands out, as it were?”

One of Reynie’s difficulties is Seeing the Best in People. He does not fully agree with Mr. Benedict’s assertion that examples of wickedness merely stand out from examples of goodness rather than outnumbering them. This piece of wisdom represents one of the central lessons that Reynie must learn as the events of the novel unfold.

“It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that my brother’s nightly torments and daily struggles have contributed to his obsession. Though I’ve long since come to terms with my own spells of helplessness, it did take years before I stopped feeling ashamed of them.”

Mr. Benedict agrees with Reynie’s suggestion that Mr. Curtain is motivated by fear of his sleep paralysis and narcolepsy. This scene provides further evidence of Reynie’s unusual insight and emotional intelligence. Additionally, because the novel deals candidly with health conditions such as narcolepsy and features characters who exhibit different versions of neurodivergence, the author fosters an attitude of openness and acceptance toward people who have significant differences from the majority.

“Reynie thrust his chin into his hands, trying to concentrate. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Constance do the same thing. At first he thought she was mocking him, and he started to tell her to knock it off. Then he saw her close her eyes, obviously trying to think. Reynie felt oddly, deeply touched.”

In this moment, Reynie realizes for the first time that Constance looks up to him. Constance is otherwise quite prickly, so Reynie’s realization comes with a sense of responsibility. The book’s primary theme is The Importance of Teamwork, and by consciously choosing to support Constance, Reynie is beginning to step into his role as a team leader.

“She might be a budding genius, but her emotions were still as complicated and ungovernable as those of any child her age.”

Constance’s major obstacle throughout her adventures is the emotional dysregulation that is characteristic of children her age, regardless of her precociousness. Although she is highly intellectually developed for a three-year-old, she still has difficulty controlling her emotions, and this characteristic causes dissonance in how she expects others to treat her. Reynie, Kate, and Sticky often have to remind themselves that she is still only a toddler.

“Ever since that morning, when the dreadful message was delivered, she had felt caught up in a whirlwind of emotions, and there was no sign of her coming down anytime soon. It was no wonder. For the last year of her life she had relied completely upon Mr. Benedict—and a year was a very long time indeed to Constance, who had been around for so few to begin with.”

Constance has been through more than most three-year-olds. Despite her intelligence, she still needs a great deal of support, but she is not always able to voice her needs clearly because of her age. This passage also emphasizes the differences in perception that are common for very young children; because Constance is so young, even relatively short spans of time can seem interminable to her.

“The truth, which Sticky didn’t quite understand, was that pride was a new feeling for him—something he’d rarely experienced before last year’s mission—and it was simply taking some getting used to.”

Part of Sticky’s character development involves coming to terms with his pride. He struggles in moments when his pride is wounded or when he feels that he has not lived up to others’ expectations. As the novel progresses, he learns that he is not expected to solve every problem or have the answer to every question.

“Compared to Nicholas, even the best of men are untrustworthy.”

Captain Noland’s words worry Reynie, who already has trouble Seeing the Best in People. Reynie’s distrust of the adults around him makes it harder for him to move through the world and accept help from strangers like Captain Noland.

“But it was the fierceness in Kate’s bright blue eyes that had the most striking effect. The sort of look that made you thankful she wasn’t your enemy.”

Kate is a highly motivated, passionate character. Whenever her friends are in trouble or are beginning to lose hope, her determination lifts the mood and helps them to find the next solution. She also uses her forceful personality to encourage and motivate the other children, highlighting The Importance of Teamwork.

“He must remember to be careful what he said, and even what he allowed himself to think. Constance relied on him. He knew that now.”

Reynie feels the burden of putting on a brave face, especially now that he knows about Constance’s highly developed intuition. In this moment, Reynie takes on the responsibility of looking after Constance, even at the cost of his own ability to openly express his emotions. His inner reflections reveal a very adult mindset, even though he is still a child himself.

“They mustn’t put too much pressure on Sticky. When he was flustered, Sticky was capable of becoming very agitated and confused. He was less susceptible to such states these days, but the possibility still existed. It had long been a source of embarrassment for him.”

Reynie looks after all of his friends and takes their personal struggles into consideration whenever he crafts plans for the next stage of their adventure. His inner thoughts reveal his innate empathy, and his intuition about his friends’ feelings makes him a strong team leader because he is often able to understand his companions better than they understand themselves.

“That was the look she wore, Reynie decided. A guilty look. It made him very uneasy.

You’re getting ahead of yourself, he thought. Let it go for now. You’ll find out soon enough.”

In this passage, Reynie talks himself out of his initial suspicious about Daatje because he is working on Seeing the Best in People. While he has made mistakes in the past, he overcompensates in this scene by discounting his instincts and dismissing a potential source of danger. Unfortunately for Reynie, his suspicions about Daatje end up being correct, which further reinforces his belief that most people are fundamentally untrustworthy.

“But you’d feel differently if it were to happen and you were responsible. We’re not like them, Kate. That’s the entire point of trying to stop them.”

Milligan firmly believes that killing the Ten Man would be counterproductive and wrong. However, Kate finds it difficult to agree with her father’s perspective, and by the end of the novel, she must come to terms with the fact that it is far better to take the moral high ground and avoid succumbing to the temptation to take revenge and harm others, even when their actions warrant a punishment of some sort.

“‘I do trust you,’ said Reynie, which was perfectly true. Milligan was one of the few people he did trust.”

When it comes to Seeing the Best in People, Reynie reserves his good opinion for a very short list of people. It is only with Mr. Benedict’s help that he recognizes that it is good to try and trust strangers as well. However, the novel also suggests that in order to remain safe, it is best to strike a reasonable balance between trust and distrust.

“[W]hile Sticky hung back, too embarrassed to jockey for position. (He’d made himself look quite foolish with that footprint business, he thought, and though no one had teased him—not even Constance—he felt the embarrassment keenly.)”

Sticky finds it extremely difficult to forgive himself for making mistakes. He holds himself to an incredibly high standard and desperately wants to prove himself to his friends, even when they have given no indication that they look down on him.

“The only thing Sticky wanted was to save his friends from whatever lay in store as a result of his terrible blunders. Yet he had no means of saving them—his talents were of no use here—and his mind was spinning in a tumult of frustration and despair.”

When Sticky’s intelligence is of no use, he feels as though he has failed. Sticky must learn that The Importance of Teamwork involves leaning on his friends’ varying skill sets when his own talents do not fit the task at hand. While his intelligence is often indispensable, there are times when someone else in the group is better equipped to solve a problem or create a solution.

“It was McCracken who had spoken to them from the rafters, and he had spoken correctly: the children had been outsmarted, which meant McCracken was very smart indeed.”

The danger that McCracken poses is a very real one. As highly intelligent children, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are used to being able to outsmart most adults, especially when they work together. McCracken’s sudden appearance reminds them that far from being a fun scavenger hunt, their current predicament is a life-or-death situation.

“He told McCracken about everything—everything except Milligan and the final clue—and because what Reynie said was true, it was a perfectly convincing account.”

Reynie uses The Ambiguous Role of Deception to try to outwit McCracken. He knows that a lie is more believable if it is embedded in the truth, so he uses honesty to his advantage, just as Mr. Benedict does to outwit his brother.

“Reynie hesitated. Something seemed amiss, but in the urgency of the moment he couldn’t immediately identify it.”

This moment of foreshadowing draws attention to Reynie’s suspicions and implies that the man handcuffed to the stalagmite is not Mr. Benedict. This is another moment in which Reynie’s suspicious nature benefits the group, even if his observational skills do not activate in time to save the children from Mr. Curtain’s trap.

“I hope you haven’t given up on the S.Q.’s of the world, Reynie. As you see, there are a great many sheep in wolves’ clothing. If not for S.Q.’s good nature, we’d never have escaped.”

Mr. Benedict tries to teach Reynie about Seeing the Best in People, even those who actively attempt to harm him. Faced with Mr. Benedict’s reinterpretation of recent events, Reynie starts to realize that the world is not neatly divided between the two simple categories of “good people” and “bad people.” Instead, he starts to understand that all people are capable of making good and bad choices and that there is always room for improvement and a chance for redemption.

“Kate realized—with a certain degree of disappointment but also a degree of pride—that she could never do it, could never do something that would make her more like her enemy and less like her father.”

Kate finally understands that if she were to become capable of killing others, she would in fact be just as bad as her enemies. Of all the adults in her life, she looks up to Milligan the most and wants to be just like him, which helps her to learn the moral lesson that he wants to teach her.

“‘And I realize there’s no shortage of wickedness in the world,’ said Mr. Benedict, with a significant look at Reynie, ‘but is it not heartening to know that so many are willing to fight for the good?’”

Reynie is now more adept at Seeing the Best in People thanks to Mr. Benedict’s help. Despite all that he has been through, he is willing to concede that people are complicated and multifaceted, and his recent adventures have gifted him with a far more nuanced view of the world around him.