Character Clues
Character Analysis
Physical Appearances
In Lucy, physical appearances often function like masks; characters' exteriors don't always quite match up with what's underneath.
The physical appearance of the family that Lucy works for is a prime example of this. These people appear so sweet you could get a toothache just from looking at them:
The husband and wife looked alike and their four children looked just like them. In photographs of themselves, which they placed all over the house, their six yellow-haired heads of various sizes were bunched as if they were a bouquet of flowers tied together by an unseen string. (1.12)
Likening the family portrait to a flower arrangement suggests that the members of this family (or at least the parents) work hard to carefully craft an image of harmony and of attractiveness. And the fact that they place these kinds of pictures all over the house tells us that they're concerned with deliberately projecting that image of perfection and put-togetherness, perhaps in an effort to reassure themselves and their guests of just how perfect they are.
Of course, as Lucy comes to find out, the reality of this family isn't quite as lovely the pictures plastered all over their home would suggest.
Sex and Love
Not to gross anyone out, but you can tell a lot about a character from the type of sex he or she has. That's certainly the case in Lucy where matters of the bedroom tend to take center stage.
As Lucy and Mariah engage in some candid girl talk, for example, Lucy tells us:
Mariah interrupted and said, "[Lewis and I] have such bad sex." Those words came as a shock to me, for I had never thought of that. Bad sex. I wondered what exactly did she mean. (4.31)
Lucy's reaction should hardly come as a surprise to us since Lucy is so in control of her sexuality and pleasure that she wouldn't stand for bad sex. No sir.
Likewise, Mariah's attitude towards all the lackluster sex she's had speaks volumes about her character. Lucy explains:
She had blamed herself, as only Mariah would; she had thought there was something wrong with her or that she was doing something wrong altogether. (4.31)
This behavior is completely typical of Mariah's character; she's so self-focused that it even affects the quality of her sex life. That's one pretty negative side effect of self-absorption for you.
Actions
Actions don't always have to be huge and dramatic, like fighting in a duel or going bungee jumping, to reveal something important about a character. In Lucy, small actions end up telling us big things.
Consider some of Mariah's expressions of exuberance, for instance:
[Mariah] twirled herself wildly around the room and came to a sharp stop without knocking over anything, even though many things were in her path. (2.12)
There's a playfulness and charming child-like quality in Mariah's wild twirling that makes her a more likeable character than the rich, stick-up-her-butt lady we might at first assume her to be.
On the other hand, actions can provide evidence that confirms our first impressions about characters.
From the get go, Lucy tells us that Dinah is just no good. Instead of simply taking her word for it, though, we get a better sense of Dinah's odiousness when Lucy specifically describes her actions for us, as she remarks:
I could see that Dinah was attached to her beauty: she stroked her hair from the crown of her head all the way down, constantly; she would put her hands to her mouth, not in modesty but as a gesture to draw attention to her lips [. . .] (3.14)
Yup, we can see for ourselves that this lady is vain, vain, and more vain.