Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

Some people always do what they say they will, and then there's Pearl. Pearl might say she's going to work/hanging out with Greenie/leaving Fallbrook during the fire, but she's actually off rendezvousing with Amiel. Every. Single. Time.

We can tell that she's madly in love with Amiel because she always makes time to be with him, even when she's not supposed to. And since most of the time she doesn't come right out and declare her adoration for Amiel, except to note how dreamy he is, her actions really drive home her interest in him.

Looked at from the angle of Amiel's actions, what do you think they reveal about his feelings for her?

Occupation

You might have noticed that uncle Hoyt owns an avocado orchard and flies to Paris every summer, while Amiel and his buddies stand on the side of the road looking for work every day. No wonder Amiel says he and Pearl are from two different worlds. In this book, occupation speaks volumes about social positioning, letting us know who is empowered to act freely and who is left trying to hack it on the perimeters.

As for Pearl, the fact that she's free to be a student while Amiel struggles as a day laborer illuminates the vast distance between their respective experiences as teens.