Character Clues

Character Analysis

Family Life

The girls are is different from each other, and one of the ways we can understand these differences is through their families. Each girl comes from a very different home life, which is probably part of why their moms stopped being friends oh so many years ago.

Carmen's parents are divorced and she rarely sees her father. This causes her to feel neglected, which in turn makes for one very angry teenager. But at least Carmen's parents are both alive—Bridget's mother died when she was little, and she has been raised by just her father. We get the feeling that even though dad is there, he's not really there, if you know what we mean, so Bridget feels empty and looks in the wrong places for help filling that void (ahem… Coach Eric).

Lena, on the other hand, seems to have a traditional family life—mom, dad, sister, that sort of thing. While Lena's family seems relatively conflict-free, she feels like the black sheep in it, like she just doesn't fit in with the gregarious Greeks that surround her. This prompts serious insecurity in her, which makes it all the harder for her to come out of her shell.

Lastly, Tibby's family is like a circus. Her parents have taken on demanding careers, and had more babies too; life at Tibby's house is unendingly busy it seems. As a result, she feels neglected and like no one in her family really cares, prompting her to put on a tough exterior and devil-may-care attitude to mask how much she's hurting deep down inside.

Be sure to check out each girl's analysis in the "Characters" section for more on their families and how they help us understand what each girl goes through in this book.

Physical Appearances

Like all young ladies, these girls have unique physical attributes that shape their view of the world. Carmen is Hispanic and is the shapeliest of the four girls. She has her mother's coloring, and her father's new family is surprised that he and his daughter don't share a resemblance—in other words, the way Carmen looks mirrors the emotional distance she feels from her father.

Bridget, on the other hand, is characterized as the athlete of the bunch and is shaped accordingly. She is tall, with long legs, big hands, and really blond hair, like the color of "a peeled banana" (2.34). She is eye-catching, which bodes well for her plot line because Coach Eric is attracted to her a big way—not only does she want to be noticed, but she's hard to miss.

Lena, on the other hand, is beautiful—so much so, in fact, that the girls wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood made her a star. The narrator states, "Her face was so lovely, so delicately structured, it kind of gave Carmen a stomachache" (1.58). Anyway, Lena's identity is directly linked to her beauty, because with olive skin, straight black hair, and shining green eyes, her looks are all most people notice about her. And while she wishes people could see what's on the inside, she needs to do some serious self-exploration before that can happen.

Tibby's small, boy-like stature almost makes her look fragile, which clues us into the fact that despite her nose ring and tough looking clothes, inside she is pretty vulnerable. The Pants magically bring out Tibby's femininity, letting us know she's got that side, and are a refreshing change from the polyester Wallman's smock she usually has to wear. Interestingly, when life gets tough for Tibby she lets her appearance go by not washing her hair—it's a way of showing her pain.

Can you find other examples of appearances as clues? It might be interesting to track how each girl's look changes as her summer progresses.

Actions

While there are plenty of ways we get clues about each of our four main characters, they're actions pretty much come out and tell us most of what we need to know about them.

For instance, Carmen hates her father's new family in South Carolina. And while this is totally understandable given that she's blindsided by their presence, when she responds by throwing rocks through the window of their home, we understand that this is a girl who isn't just mad—she's got some real issues with anger.

Or consider Bridget's persistence with Coach Eric. She shows up time and again, whether for runs or creeping into his bed at night, and even does so after he tells her he might not be able to resist much longer. We understand that this isn't just a girl with a crush—there's an insistence to her desire that clues us into the fact that she is trying to fill a void, long before Bridget herself comes to understand this about herself.

Think on Tibby and Lena. How do their actions make who they are super clear? How about the actions of minor characters?