Character Clues
Character Analysis
Direct Characterization
In a novel with tons of characters that are mostly all related or dating, it's not surprising that we get a lot of chatter about what they think of each other. That's where direct characterization—explicit statements about a character's personality or traits—comes in.
One thing that's really interesting about direct characterization in this book is that the characters' descriptions of each other feature numerous contradictions, showing that many of them may not be conscious of how their behavior is affecting others. Take Lily, for instance. Lily is quick to criticize everyone—her mom's work behavior is "unprofessional" (3.52), her family is "freakish" (13.11), and even Lonnie is "a loser" (33.21) for having no purpose or focus in life. Everyone, that is, except herself.
By contrast, check out what the other characters have to say about her. Lonnie calls Lily his "bossy little sister" (8.4), Pop's feelings are hurt because she thinks he's "past mowing a bit of grass himself" (5.3), and Marigold echoes Lonnie's observation when she thinks, "Lily was a good girl […] But oh, she was bossy" (29.31). Huh… those don't quite fit Lily's billing of herself.
As a result, it's our job as readers to weigh what each character says and come to a decision about what the truth is. Rather than take each characters' word for it, we have to decide whose descriptions are most accurate and why. In this case, Lily's definitely quick to point out the speck in her neighbors' eyes—but is utterly unaware of the plank in her own. And a key part of how we know this is that other characters come right out and say (okay, and think) it.
Family Life
One Whole and Perfect Day is the story of a family, and the way the Samsons and the book's other families interact with each other definitely provides us with some clues about their characters.
In Lily's home, the fact that she takes care of the cooking, cleaning, and bill-paying while her mom is at work demonstrates her faithfulness as a daughter in spite of her frustrations with feeling like a "stodgy, middle-aged" (6.8) person in a teenager's body. Similarly, Marigold, who works long hours at the day care to provide for them both tells Lily, "I don't know what I'd do without you" (12.45) in thanks for her efforts. So we understand that while Marigold is willing to let her kid carry adult responsibilities, she's also super grateful for the help.
Meanwhile, Pop may be the head of the household at his and Nan's home in Katoomba, but it's clear that it's actually Nan who rules the roost. Think about it: She chucks Pop's ax over a cliff just in case he decides to make good on his threat on Lonnie. And the fact that she ultimately gets her way when Pop signs Lonnie's invitation to the party also demonstrates the tremendous power she wields over him. "I knew you'd come around," Nan tells him. We don't doubt that this is true—when the pressure's on, May Samson usually gets what she wants.
Names
Here's an interesting observation. Did you catch how many female characters in this book have names that relate to springtime? First, there's May, the month when spring basically goes into full swing, the flowers are in full bloom, and everyone's psyched for summer. Then there's the slew of ladies named after flowers, including Lily, Marigold, and Rose. Coincidence? We don't think so. The story even takes place in springtime:
It was a beautiful day, the kind of day you get occasionally at the end of winter […] There were fat green buds on the trees along the nature strips, and freesias and little white daises coming up through the grass on the embankments. In a few short weeks, it would be spring. (21.36)
Check out this hypothesis: What if the use of springy and flowery names is related to the roles the female characters play in bringing about a new season for the family? It's Lily and May who conspire in a shared vision of reuniting them all at a special "celebration" (7.74), and for her part, Marigold teaches Lily to accept her family as it is (35.50). Rose also plays a key role in bringing the whole bunch together by choosing to travel to Katoomba to investigate Clara's engagement, transforming the party into one big unexpected reunion.
In the end, Lily not only gets the "perfect, cloudless day" (25.28) that she wants so badly, but a new chapter in her family's previous disjointed history. And it's all thanks to the ladies whose names are shout-outs to springtime and blooming.