Symbols
Recurring symbol of strength throughout the book
Elephant (Elephant Necklace)
Theme represented by Yaqui's bullying of Piddy and Piddy's inability to speak up.
Power and control
Country that Piddy's mom lived before she came to the US
Cuba
Protagonist
Piddy (Piedad Sanchez)
What does Yaqui throw in the lunchroom?
What does the cat with the kittens symbolize in the basement of Piddy's old apartment?
Care or vulnerability
This theme involves how people treat others repeatedly in harmful ways.
Bullying
Name of salon where Piddy works
Yaqui Delgado
What happens in the parking lot of Salon Corazon with Yaqui's friends?
They tell her she Yaqui wants to fight her at Bowne Park
Plant that blooms outside Piddy's new apartment symbolizing beauty and injury or danger or survival and resilience
Roses
Voice (or lack thereof)
The name of the housing projects where Yaqui lives and where there is constant violence.
The Bland
Foil or opposite character to Piddy's mom, Clara
Lila
What happens when Piddy goes to visit Mitzi in her new town?
Meets her friends, awkard, fight
Reason Piddy and her mom moved from their old apartment. Symbolizes a crumbling future.
Stairs
Theme represented by Piddy's actions following the fight with Yaqui. This theme focuses on finding strength despite fear.
Survival and resilience
Name of Piddy's new high school
DJ or Daniel Jones High School
Romantic interest
Joey Halper
Who "wins" the fight between Yaqui and Piddy? What happens afterward?
Yaqui "wins" the fight. The fight video is posted online and everyone sees it.
Quote from Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar "O judgment! Thou are fled to brutish beasts. And men have lost their reason..."
People acting out of animal instinct rather than logic.
Theme represented in scenes such as Piddy being accused of not being "Latina" enough by Darlene and Piddy plucking out her eyebrows and wearing dark lipstick. This theme explores understanding who you are and where you belong.
Identity
The name of the housing projects where Yaqui lives and where there is constant violence.
The Bland
Mitzi
Who does Piddy write about in her essay about modern monsters?
Yaqui Delgado