There's nothing wrong with being good at stuff—after all, that's what college scholarships are made of. In Perfect, Sean's a killer baseball player, Kendra's a pageant queen, Cara's a smarty-pants with good grades, and Andre's poised for national fame on one of those So You Think You Can Dance shows. But the muscles Sean builds in the gym aren't big enough, so he tries steroids, and the nose Kendra was born with isn't runway-ready, so she signs up for plastic surgery. When the people who push you can never be satisfied, being good can go very, very bad.
Questions About Strength and Skill
- Is getting a scholarship the reason Sean's so invested in baseball, or is there something deeper going on? How else does winning serve him?
- Does Kendra really want to be a model and pageant queen, or is she just doing it for her mom?
- How does Kendra's intense drive contribute to Jenna's lack thereof?
Chew on This
Cara's a perfectionist, but she's not as invested in a specific goal as the other narrators. What she really wants is to genuinely know herself.
Kendra's eating disorder gives her something else to focus on besides what everyone else expects of her. Eating disorders aren't a healthy way of distracting yourself, but they are a distraction. Like other forms of self-injury, they're a way of dulling your feelings.