Character Clues

Character Analysis

Direct Characterization

Most of what we know about everyone is from Leigh's observations. They might only be through Leigh's eyes, but that's what we get:

• Leigh is "just a plain boy" (10.3).
• Mom "is so little" (30.4).
• Mr. Fridley is "sort of baggy" (32.6).

Leigh tells us a lot about the important people in his life—how they act, what they say, and how they look. The older he gets, the more complex descriptions he's able to give.

Actions

Since Leigh is observing and recording what's going on around him (and learning to do a pretty good job of it, too), we also see what people are like based on what they do. When we read (again) that "Dad still hasn't phoned, and he promised he would" (33.1), we know he's not reliable.

We know Leigh's mom is loving and conscientious because she listens to him, answers his questions, works a couple of jobs, and goes to school. She never bad mouths his dad or burdens Leigh with her problems. She even sleeps on the couch so Leigh can have the bedroom.

Another example: Barry tells Leigh and his mom about the alarm that his little sisters like setting off. "This was driving his mother crazy, so he finally had to disconnect it. We all laughed about this" (55.4). Laughing about it tells us that Barry is easy-going and has a good sense of humor (versus someone who would have complained, gotten mad, or tried to beat up his little sisters).

Speech and Dialogue

What someone says tells a lot about them. If you randomly yell out, "To infinity and beyond," you might be a little spacey. Tell someone else, "I love you. You love me. We're a happy family," you might be a big, purple dinosaur.

When Mr. Henshaw says he writes because it "beats mowing the lawn or shoveling snow" (8.5), we know he's got a silly, sarcastic side.

There's a part where Leigh describes something his mom says: "Mom looked me straight in the eye. 'Because your father will never grow up,' she said" (55.11-12). We know by what she says that Mom trusts Leigh enough to talk to him about important things. She's honest with herself and has boundaries, but she's not mean or nasty and doesn't say bad things about her ex-husband.

We also see that Leigh is growing up by watching his writing get more sophisticated and complex. From his three-sentence letter to Mr. Henshaw in second grade, complete with misspellings, to his longer, more thoughtful, and better organized sixth-grade letters and diary entries, we watch Leigh develop. Not only is his writing better, but his ideas are more mature.