In A Girl Named Zippy, Kimmel tells the story of her childhood self. She shows how a quaint little town, of just three hundred people, was made anew by the anything but ordinary Zippy. Born in 1965, Haven Kimmel, or “Zippy,” brings a splash of imaginative thinking and creativity to the small town of Mooreland, Indiana. With the town as her stage, the lively spark that burned within her, and the imagination as wild as a stallion, Zippy brings the typical 1960s rural town of America to life. In the novel Zippy is able to turn everyday events into a twist of child like imagination, and hilarity. Through this, she illustrates not only the importance but also the crucialness of imagination.
Throughout the novel it is made clear that Zippy’s mission is to put her own spin on things. While growing up, she was let free to explore and do as she wished, allowing her to develop an imaginative, and humorous personality like no other. Zippy turns her dull and boring novel of a life into an elaborate coloring book, in which she is the artist. When an everyday event such as delivering cookie sheets to her sister across town is touched by her imaginative way of thinking this event ends up being described as, “I rested the pans on my open palms the way a waiter might carry plates of spaghetti to the Mafia” (255).This and many other out-of-the-blue, imaginative thoughts are Zippy’s way of brightening her seemingly black and white life. Creativity is the crucial ingredient for spicing up everyday, run-of-the-mill moments. Imagination brings a sense of wonder and expression into life that can not be found anywhere else.
While imagination can be used as a way of expression, it may also be used to make sense of life. Being ten and thirteen years younger than her sister and brother, Zippy was forced to grow up in a more mature world. To survive in this world, Zippy used imagination. Imagination allowed her to come to terms with the many complexities in her life. One of these complicated situations was the reason why Edythe, the old lady across the street, seemed to hate Zippy. To understand this, Zippy used imaginative thinking and reasoned that, “Mom and Edythe had been friends because they both read books and they were both basically insane… And then when Mom and Dad picked me up from the gypsies and Mom had to tend to me, plus there was the trouble of having my tail removed, and mom and Edythe couldn’t talk as much anymore, and Edythe got really mad and jealous…” she continues with this reasoning only to conclude that, “the most important thing of all was, of course, that I was a gypsy” (97-98). While the idea of being a gypsy with a tail was planted in her head jokingly, by her mother, she believed it wholeheartedly. By believing in these seemingly nonsensical ideas, Zippy was able to wrap her head around the complexities of her life and the lives of the ones closest to her. Imagination is key in coping with complex relationships and complicated lives. Being able to create reason, even if this reason is a bit outside the box, can help people feel some sense of order in their life. Having even just a wisp of understanding can make all the difference in pushing through hard-to-comprehend times, making the imagination important in coping with difficult situations.
Imagination has many uses and many meanings. When typed into Google, imagination is defined as “the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful.” It is more than that. As seen in A Girl Named Zippy, Imagination is the ability to think abstract ideas, and to invite creativity into the soul. To dream of the impossible, and then to make those dreams possible. It is the capability to resurrect the distant thoughts of the many who came before, and a way to listen to the many who will follow.  Imagination is not only a way to bring color into a dull world, it is the ability to then, paint a masterpiece. Imaginative hopes, thoughts, and dreams help a person see the world in a new and exciting way. Imagination brings the world, as well as the people who possess it to life.