The Best of Iggy

The motif of extenuating circumstances is introduced in Chapter 3, titled “Extenuating Circumstances, Part One,” and serves as a recurring motif throughout the novel. Two subsequent chapters, titled “Extenuating Circumstances, Part Two” and “Extenuating Circumstances, Part Three,” further explore this concept. The narrator explains that extenuating circumstances are “facts that make the things people do more understandable” and “pieces of information you need to know before you decide whether someone is good or bad” (22). For example, if someone steals bread from a store because they haven’t eaten in two days, the fact that they were starving makes the theft more understandable.

The novel uses this concept to analyze each of Iggy’s antics. The first episode has several extenuating circumstances: Iggy was taunted by Jeremy and tried to stop him from skateboarding off the roof, concerned for his safety. The second incident has no extenuating circumstances. The final incident also lacks extenuating circumstances, as Iggy is fully responsible for deciding to do the desk-driving race and running into Ms. Schulberger. However, the narrator claims that “unofficially, I think we can say that Iggy’s sorriness became an extenuating circumstance” (70). How sorry Iggy feels afterward can excuse what he did to some extent. The motif of extenuating circumstances adds to the educational tone of the novel, as it teaches young readers that misbehavior is wrong and has consequences. This motif also underscores the complexity of human behavior and the importance of empathy and understanding when judging others’ actions.