Character Analysis
Cameron/Anna is Toswiah/Evie's big sister who is fifteen months older than she is.
The Brave One
While Toswiah/Evie considers herself the quiet, reflective one, Cameron/Anna is louder and more outgoing. Toswiah/Evie believes Cameron/Anna has always been the brave one:
Cameron was the brave one. Popular. Smart. If you try really hard, she used to say, maybe a little of me will rub off on you. And although I stuck my tongue out at her when she said this, I did try because I wanted to know what it felt like to come down that mountain—grinning and beautiful and free. (1.24)
In a lot of ways, Cameron/Anna seems unstoppable, so it's no wonder Toswiah/Evie wants to imitate her active approach to life. However, Toswiah/Evie overlooks many of the issues with believing you own the world—like the fact that it's a hard lesson when you find out you don't, as Cameron/Anna learns.
The Resistant One
In some ways, Cameron/Anna has more to lose than Toswiah/Evie when they leave Denver, and she's much more vocally opposed to the idea of Daddy testifying and changing their lives. She's a cheerleader with a boyfriend—who happens to be the son of one of the officers involved in the shooting—as well as tons of friends. Her decision to change her name to Anna reflects her need to keep things the same:
"Anna," Cameron said softly, her voice breaking. "A palindrome. Backward and forward the same thing. Anna. Easy to spell. Easy to say. Easy to remember. Turn it completely around and it's the same thing." (10.26)
Cameron/Anna's fear of change comes out here, as she chooses a simple name that is the same no matter which way you read it. Her life has been turned "completely around" and so she chooses a name that stays the same when it gets turned. Perhaps it's a reminder to herself that she is still the same deep down inside, and it definitely indicates some hard feelings about this major life shift.
The Control Freak
Perhaps because Cameron/Anna interacts with the external world more, she has a much tougher time adjusting to the change than Toswiah/Evie does and is more determined to regain control over her own life by getting out of the situation she's forced into and into a situation (Simon's Rock) of her own choosing. Cameron/Anna says:
"All I'm saying is, Mama and Daddy aren't gonna get us out of this one. We're in it together and we got to do it ourselves. You'll run. I'll go to Simon's Rock. Nobody's gonna stop either of us." (21.47)
Cameron/Anna is comfortable depending on herself, which is a good thing because she's probably right when she says her parents can't solve the situation they're in. As much as Cameron/Anna's decision to go to college early indicates a need to try to control her life, though, it also demonstrates resilience: Things may be tough, but nothing's going to keep her from fully engaging with herself and her life. You go, girl.