Character Analysis: When You Reach Me By Rebecca Stead

Walking the boundaries starts off by Martian, a city boy, visiting his grandfather old ted. Throughout the story Martin changes. In the beginning he wants to sell the farm but by the end of the story he understands the significance of the farm and he wants to carry on his families heritage. Along his journey he gets much more out of it then he had thought, he learns about the history of the farm and he meets people from the past who are walking their boundaries along their boundaries as well. The Australian author Jackie French, provides knowledge and insight of Martians journey, both mentally and physically. French uses definitive techniques such as a clear plot, third person narrative and character contrast to make the reader see both sides of the journey.

Everybody changes throughout life, either it from being around certain people, having people persuade you into doing something, or by seeing a certain event happen. Everyone goes through a type of change that can make a big difference in their life. I argue that people in the play “Witness” by Karen Hesse can change from being around others because Sara Chickering changed from being around the Hirsh’s, Viola ended up joining the KKK because of her husband pressuring her to, and Merlin by seeing Leanora saving Ester.

The death of Coral’s son has caused an emotional breakdown as she cannot accept her son’s death. Moreover, Coral has lost her social identity and tends to struggle to find a connection with anyone, as she “can’t think of anything to say” (Act 2, Scene 2). Her husband, Roy, is annoyed by her bizarre attitude and this causes Coral to lower herself to the behavior of a naïve child “I’ll be good! I’ll improve!” When Coral does begin to speak, it is presented as very expressive and mournful. Her tone is filled with emotion as she is constantly “wiping away tears”.

What We All Long For describes the challenges of establishing identity in a place disconnected from your national and cultural origins. However, this novel is full of descriptions of streets and neighborhoods in Toronto. How do characters navigate these and how does their relationship to spaces shape or affect their sense of identity?

In the excerpt “Character is what you are in the dark” by Dwight Lyman Moody, can mean many different things. One being, “you are most yourself when no one is watching”, another one also being, “dark and troubled times bring out a person's true nature”, and “your true nature is on the inside”. This quote can or cannot apply to the play of “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare. A way that the excerpt “Character is what you are in the dark” by Dwight Lyman Moody, can relate to the play is by, “You are most yourself when no one is watching”, meaning in the play of “Romeo and Juliet” that they both did act differently when they were alone.

Dorothy bought a garden gnome with her best friend Norah. One day the gnome disappeared and Dorothy started receiving postcards/telegrams around the world signed by “Mr. Gnome” saying how he feels, when he will come back, where he is, etc. Dorothy reports this to the police but the police doesn’t take her seriously. One night Dorothy received a telegram saying that the gnome died. Sadly, Dorothy couldn’t handle this mentally so she too died.

Is competition allowed in a friendship? Or should two friends be just friends or just rivals. According to many studies, competition is healthy for a friendship. It allows for a group of friends to push each other and get better. But what if there was a friend who took the competition to heart and viewed the friendship more like a rivalry? In John Knowles, A Separate Peace, the protagonist, Gene Forrester, and his best friend, Finny, grow from a great friendship to a full out rivalry. Can a friendship be a rivalry?

In the novel Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, the author uses the characters internal and external conflicts to show that everybody has chains both physically and mentally.

Do you like history? Then this is a book for you. “A Night Divided” by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a very eye catching book. The book is a story about how a family was split up by the Berlin Wall that went up in Berlin, Germany. It goes along the lines of Greta who is the youngest child in her family. Many thing happen that Greta has to deal with and try to solve, she has to do so while knowing that while she is on the East side that her father and brother are on the West side. This book is realistic fiction and has 317 pages

A quest narrative tells the journey of an individual on a mission, often with both physical and psychological obstacles. With each step closer to completing the mission, more of the past, that was once disclosed, is revealed and the individual grows as a person. In Marie-Elena John’s novel, Unburnable, Lillian searches for answers to her troubled past and misfortunate family. Her journey back home, to the place she left with scars, unravels the truth about her family’s past, allowing her to heal while gaining a better understanding of why things turned out the way they did. Lillian’s quest to seek the truth about her grandmother’s trial reveals the history of untameable, bold women in her bloodline, inspiring her to have faith in herself and

Twyla and Roberta are two very different people, but bond in very similar ways. They become friends very suddenly, not because of how old they are, but because both have a mother. Twyla's mom is a dancer, and Roberta's mother is too sick to raise her. They later meet in their twenties in a not so settling way. Twyla had been bussing tables while Roberta had been living large about to meet Jimi Hendrix. Twyla was embarrassed at her long past friend and was ashamed to show herself. Five years later they meet at a grocery store where they both have kids and are settled down. They decided to go vet coffee where it starts off both are different races so they take opposite sides of the debate.  Roberta accuses Twyla of abusing one of the girls at the orphanage. Twyla only remembers sitting and watching the girl get abused by other girls, and Roberta's memories start to come back to her. This holds their relationship together for the next five years when

“The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure” (57). Two men that lived for their passion for adventure was Chris McCandless and Jay Moriarity. Chris McCandless was a young man who hitched hike to Alaska to explore and survive in the wilderness. Jay Moriarity was a young surfer who was determined to ride Mavericks, the largest waves. Chris's story was heard by a man named Jon Krakauer and Chris's story was developed and published into a novel for the world to hear, which got controversial feedback. Although both seem to come from very different lifestyles and had different pursuits for adventure, both share many qualities such as home life, preparation for goals, and the willingness to let people be there for them.

In the novel, Speak by Laurie Hales Anderson, the main character is Melinda Sordino. Melinda started her freshman year terribly. Not only is Melinda an outcast, she is also hated and ignored by everyone because she ruined the end of the summer party by calling the cops. Melinda is emotionally distressed due to a sexual assault that occurred at the party. On the other hand, Melinda has a passion for art, but is having a hard time in art class. She doesn’t just have a hard time in art class, she has a hard time making friends, interacting, and expressing herself. At home, she hardly has a relationship with her parents and mostly spends her time at home in her room. Melinda is a quiet person with a lot on her mind. Academically, she is a decent student who barely passes her classes,

Sookan becomes braver in the book Year of Impossible Goodbyes when faced with the following situations: attending Japanese school, the guide leaving her and Inchun to fend for themselves, and crossing the 38th parallel without being noticed. Sookan and her mother had put off going to Japanese school, since Sookan was small for her age and no one would question them. Now, Sookan needed to attend, since she's grown. Her first day there was even more terrifying than she thought it would be. The teacher was intimidating and mean, not even letting the girls use the restroom and lecturing them on how to defeat the Americans. Sookan could not bare the thought of going back there, but she had to. The next day, something new came over Sookan.

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” the story is revolved around the character Emily Grierson. The story is told by the townspeople where Emily lives. These people are attending her funeral and pitching in memories and tales they remember from Emily’s life. It is through the collective voices and opinions of the crowd that the reader is able to interpret Emily’s struggles. With Emily Grierson’s choices the reader can tell that she is a dependant woman, with psychotic tendencies, and does not take the thought of change and rejection lightly.