Character Analysis
With bright red hair, a black eye, and a heavy satchel full of books, Tuna is not what you'd expect. She's a real survivor—just not the kind you'd find in the woods. She is generally a happy-go-lucky type of gal who doesn't let too much bother her, and she's got humor, wit, heart, courage, and spunk. She also has an abusive alcoholic for a father and a mother who took off to care for her grandmother (boo), which is why she tags along with our hero (yay).
Home Sweet…Huh?
Tuna pops into the story at just the right time: before all the real action begins. She is cute and smart and strong-willed; for amusement—and to cope with a violent father—Tuna memorizes the Latin names for a wide range of natural flora and fauna (that's fancy for plants and animals). Pretty impressive, right? Well, Wahoo doesn't get it. He thinks it is just, "Too much like homework" and says he couldn't handle it (14.28). Tuna tells him, "Sure you could—if your old man was trashed out of his skull and acting like a maniac. Then you'd find a place of your own to hide […] and something to keep your mind off all the craziness" (14.29). Yeah, her home is that bad, but fortunately she has the focus and fortitude of Charles Darwin to help her deal with that reality.
Spunky Little Sidekick
Wahoo sure doesn't mind having Tuna around. In fact, they become kind of good friends in a short period of time. A few of their brief conversations get personal and hint at a potential romance in the future, but nothing is steamy yet. See the "Steaminess Rating" section for more on this.
Tuna is just the sidekick for Wahoo—besides also being named after a fish, she compliments his worrisome nature with shining confidence. For instance, when Wahoo worries for the third time about his dad messing up and losing such a big job (and paycheck), Tuna assures him that they will not let him get fired (11.81). Another time, while eavesdropping on the crew while they talk about how inept Derek is, Derek and Tuna are about to get peed on when Tuna, "grabbed one of the coco plum bushes and began to shake it" (12.41), saving them from being discovered and fired. It is Tuna's knowledge that clues us in to Derek's condition, particularly that he just has an infection and isn't turning into a vampire bat, because she knows that the bat that chomped him was usually harmless unless being eaten alive.
Catch of the Day
Since the Crays have grown to really care about what happens to Tuna, the drama of Jared Gordon trying to catch her is pretty tense. One of Tuna's main functions in the story is to be the "distressed animal" for the Cray boys to protect and care for, like all the other animals they take in. It gives them a problem to solve.
When the Cray boys are discussing what to do about Tuna once they get back home, Mickey says, "What if the cops just take a report and send her back home? Or lock up her old man, like you said—then where the heck's she supposed to live?" (15.63). Do you think Mickey has a point? Tuna ultimately decides what's best for herself, and tells Wahoo that she would rather go home with her dad and wait for her mother. Luckily, she doesn't have to.