Character Clues
Character Analysis
Names
Nearly every character in The Mysterious Benedict Society has a name that sheds a little light on his or her identity. Kate Wetherall, for instance, is able to weather just about anything that comes her way. Gloom and doom, physical obstacles and challenges, bad attitudes, impossible situations? She weathers them all with agility, dexterity, and a smile.
Constance Contraire is constantly contrary, which turns out being one of her biggest assets in the end. Sticky Washington tells us up front that he got his nickname because everything he reads sticks in his mind, and as for Reynard Muldoon, well, renard is the French word for fox, and foxes are known for being clever. That, and viral videos.
Another name with extra meaning is S.Q. Pedalian, who has a hard time with big words, such as, well, sesquipedalian. Sesquipedalian is derived from the Latin word sesquipedalis, which means "literally, a foot and a half long." (Thanks, Merriam-Webster.) Remember how S.Q.'s feet are 15 inches long? That's pretty close to a foot and a half... You do the math.
And the names don't stop there. Check it out: Martina Crowe has "piercing eyes and raven black hair" (13.4), you know, like a certain black bird; Jackson and Jillson have an unfortunate incident with a pail of water while climbing a hill; and Ledroptha Curtain wants to drop the curtain on life as we know it. And you know what it means when the curtain drops on a show, right? The end.
Actions
Ten-Year-Old Action Figure
Kate Wetherall is a girl of action, and we learn quite a bit about her from the way she enters, exits, and traverses rooms.
- When Reynie and Sticky first meet her, they're waiting in a room in the Monk Building when all of the sudden, "the door flew wide open, and a girl raced into the room carrying a bucket. She was extremely quick: One moment she was bursting through the door […] and the next she was standing right beside them" (2.59).
- In order to pass the third test, Kate crosses the room with the checkered rectangles first on a tightrope, then on a rolling bucket, and finally on her hands (3.32-39).
- At the Institute, Kate regularly enters the boys' room by way of the ceiling (10.48).
All together these entrances and exits tell us a few things about Kate. First off, she's definitely Milligan's daughter, and second, she's super-agile, strong, exceedingly resourceful, and difficult to deter.
Anxiety and the Terrible Twos
And just as Kate's actions give us a good picture of her character, Sticky and Constance's actions offer some insight as well.
- Sticky polish his glasses when he's feeling particularly anxious.
- Constance trips frequently when she walks, spends a great deal of time looking sleepy and napping, and pouts when she doesn't get her way. These behaviors are all clues that she's actually a toddler, and they make a lot more sense once we figure out that she's only two.
(In)Action
Unlike his three compatriots, Reynie doesn't do a lot of action at all. Sure he gets up and eats meals, and walks the corridors, and yes, he even flees places when it's absolutely necessary. But overall, we wouldn't call Reynie a man of action (or a boy of action, to be more precise). That's because overall, Reynie comes across as very calm and deliberate.
He doesn't have a lot of nervous behaviors (like Sticky), he doesn't burst into rooms or do a lot of running, climbing, and swimming (like Kate), and he doesn't trip or nap or pout (like Constance). Instead Reynie contemplates the world around him and does everything with a sense of purpose. He thinks before he acts, and this tells us as much about him as the other children's actions tell us about them.
Family Life
Orphan Train
So you probably noticed on your own, but just in case it somehow slipped past you, we'll put it out there in black and white: this book is filled with orphans.
Reynie is an orphan, Constance is an orphan, Kate is an orphan (at least until she's reunited with her dad), and most of the kids at the Institute are orphans. Mr. Benedict grew up an orphan, Mr. Curtain grew up an orphan, and presumably both Rhonda and Number Two found themselves without family at some point or they wouldn't have ended up with Mr. Benedict.
But wait a second. If none of the characters have families, how can they be characterized by their family life? Great question. And here's a great answer.
Family Life Includes Having No Family
Knowing whether a character has a big family or a small family or no family at all can help us to understand that character, and knowing that the majority of these characters are (or were) alone in life helps us to understand some of their feelings, motivations, and decisions.
For instance, if the four children had loving, fulfilling homes, they probably wouldn't have ended up on this ragtag team to begin with. Just as if Rhonda and Number Two had parents and family before they met Mr. Benedict, they probably wouldn't have moved into his house and become his daughters. If Reynie and Sticky had felt steady, unconditional love throughout their lives, they probably wouldn't be plagued with fears of being alone or unwanted, and they may not have experienced the crises of conscience that the Whisperer inspired.
See? Not having family is a form of family life too, and one that can influence a character's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors just as much as an annoying younger sibling or a know-it-all big brother or sister. So there.