Aside from grief, one of the main emotions Lennie feels in The Sky is Everywhere is guilt. Fun combination, right? But it could be argued that Lennie does a lot of guilt-worthy things. There's the Soap Opera-tastic Major Offense—a.k.a. the physical relationship she has with Bailey's fiancé—which then gets more guilt-worthy when she starts dating Joe and lies to him about Toby. Plus, Lennie avoids most of the people who are closest to her, even when she knows she is hurting them.
But Lennie's not a monster, either. She's dealing with the very real pain of her sister's death, and some of the reasons she feels guilty have nothing to do with her actions. She feels badly every time she enjoys life for a second, because how can she be happy when Bailey is dead? And in Part 2, we learn that Gram similarly feels guilty for things that may not be her fault. All this guilt keeps us on our toes. It's almost as if Nelson leaves the question of who's to blame, and what actions are blame-worthy, up to her readers.
Questions About Guilt and Blame
- Lennie often describes feeling compelled to kiss Toby, saying that she can't help it. Do you think this makes her actions forgivable? Why or why not?
- What does Lennie do to make up for not wanting Bailey to find their mother? How does she believe it would absolve her?
- What does Lennie mean when she says Gram never let Paige bear any blame for leaving her children? What does Gram do to take it all on herself?
- Knowing what you know about Bailey, do you think she would forgive Lennie for what she did with Toby? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Lennie's guilt is what makes her a sympathetic character, and without it, she'd be much less likeable.
Unless Lennie takes action to change her behavior, her guilt does not absolve her.