Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

The main message in Belle Prater's Boy is that you should pay more attention to what people do than the way they look, and with that in mind, characters' actions show us much more about who they really are than their attractiveness does. Even though Woodrow is cross-eyed, he's still a popular, funny kid who is an excellent friend. And though people stay away from Blind Benny because of his missing eyes, he is the kindest, gentlest soul around.

Thing is, in this book pretty much every character is misjudged based on their appearances, so be sure to swing by the "Characters" section to explore who these people are in action.

Family Life

You can also tell a lot about a person in Belle Prater's Boy by the way they treat their family. Even though Aunt Belle is warm and loving with Woodrow, she ends up leaving him behind because her desire to start a new life is far too strong to resist. And Gypsy's family—including Woodrow, Granny, Grandpa, Love, and even Porter—are all good people because they protect her and ease her pain when she's consumed with nightmares of her father's death. They're her support system even when she's not very nice to them, lashing out in sadness and anger.