Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

Just to recap, Stolen is a book with a lot of action and not a lot of dialogue. In a story with only two major characters who are in a mostly antagonistic relationship, the way they behave toward each other and the steps they take to deal with their situation become increasingly important. As a result, their actions reveal a ton of valuable information about who these people are and what they want.

To begin with, there's Gemma, who spends most of the story seeing her situation with Ty as hopeless. Consumed by desperation, anger, and fear, she responds to her kidnapping mostly by lashing out at Ty or doing violence to him, and even herself. Need proof? One of the first things she does upon arriving at Ty's property is attempt suicide. "I felt pretty determined," she describes. "Perhaps I preferred to kill myself than wait for you to do it" (5.19).

On the other hand, Ty's actions make him an extremely complex character, both for Gemma and us. He is violent and hostile at some points but kind, gentle, and creative at others, and it's this contradiction in his character that causes the confusion Gemma experiences when she's rescued.

The decision Gemma ultimately makes in regard to what she'll say in court reflects Ty's dual nature: "I'm going to tell them how you drugged me and of your mood swings," she says, "[…] But I'll tell them of your other side, too. The side I saw sometimes when you spoke softly to the camel […] And the times you rescued me" (111.8). The fact that Ty commits the unspeakable act of kidnapping Gemma but still shows her kindness and sacrifices his freedom for her makes us sympathize with him a bit, in spite of the legality (or lack thereof) of his behavior.

Location

We're going to say a ton more about location and character when we talk about contrasting settings in the "Themes" section, but the places Ty and Gemma come from have a lot to say about them as characters. In fact, the differences in their backgrounds form one of the biggest conflicts between them—whether Gemma belongs in her more conventional life in London or in the wilderness with Ty.

To begin with, Ty is basically the Australian desert version of Grizzly Adams. His childhood with the Aboriginal farm workers his dad hired taught him to live off the land and to love it, and as a result, the desert is the only place he really feels at home. That's why his venture to the city after he's taken away by social workers is so traumatic—he's placed in a completely foreign environment, isolated from everything he knows. No wonder his primary goal is to show Gemma that "the land wants you here. I want you here" (69.34). The land is his home.

Gemma, on the other hand, is a city girl, but we don't think she really knows it for certain until she has her experience with Ty. When you think about it, the city is all Gemma knows—her life with her family and friends has largely kept her shut out of the rest of the world. Nonetheless, being with Ty seems to open her up to the possibility that there are beautiful places out there that are unique and full of life, even if they aren't her home. "And something did happen, didn't it?" she says of living in the desert. "Something powerful and strange. Something I can never forget, no matter how hard I try" (107.3).

In being pulled from their preferred locations, Gemma and Ty each find themselves deeply uncomfortably—but also surprisingly delighted by at least some of what they find. In Ty's case, he discovers Gemma, and in Gemma's case, she realizes there is some true beauty in the wild.

Family Life

Neither Gemma's nor Ty's folks are going to be awarded the Leave It to Beaver Prize for Most Functional Family any time soon. While Ty and Gemma have been through different experiences, they share a similar disconnection from loved ones that provides a strong link between their characters.

Ty, of course, has had it the worst, having been abandoned by both parents, sent to an orphanage against his will, and spurned by his mom after she summons him to London to allegedly live with her. The whole story is pretty sad, and it also pretty much explains why this guy is such a mess. The only real part of his identity is the land, probably because after his dad left for the city and Ty found himself there on his own, instead of it being a traumatic time, it was one when he felt connected to something.

Meanwhile, although it's clear that Gemma loves her family and definitely misses them once she's taken to Australia, her family life isn't exactly fantastic, either. On the very first page of the book, she's having a fight with her mom about her clothes.

This might be a common occurrence between moms and 16-year-old daughters, but still, an airport terminal is neither the time nor the place. Gemma also makes it clear in her first encounter with Ty that she really doesn't respect her parents. "They just collect stuff," she says. "Dad collects people's money and Mum collects people's drawings. What do they really do that's theirs?" (1.43). Ouch. Talk about a statement that oozes contempt.

If Gemma and Ty have one thing in common, it's this: For varying reasons and in spite of varying backgrounds, neither of their parents are real winners.