Characters
April's younger sister.
Cheryl
Person vs. Nature
"My job is only to see that you do yours. So get the broom!" (Page 37).
Maggie DeRosier
"The plaster was also coming off the walls and the ceiling was warped and water-stained."
Imagery
What Cheryl had hidden at Nancy's house.
Her son
"She was a tall woman with lots of makeup and badly dyed hair" (page 34).
Mrs. DeRosier
Mrs. DeRosier cuts the hair of April and Cheryl for "misbehaving"
Person vs. Person
"We were here for centuries. We kept the land, the waters, the air, clean and pure, for our children and for our children's children." (Page 179)
Cheryl
The background information that makes future or current information make sense.
Exposition
This guy secretly had a crush on April.
Roger Maddison
"He was one of those smooth, handsome men, the kind I didn't like, [...] he just had to be conceited" (page 111).
Bob Radcliff
April struggles to accept her heritage and identity.
Person vs. Self
"Honey, that medicine that your mom and dad take does make them feel better, but not for long and not in the right way." (Page 26)
Mrs. Dion
When something happens that is the opposite of what might be expected.
For example: Cheryl drops out of university as an adulted but graduated at the top of her class in high school.
Irony
This man finally stood up to his kids when he heard them telling lies at the dinner table.
Mr. DeRosier
When she first saw him, April thought: "Now there is somebody I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with."
Roger Maddison
Multiple guests at the Radcliff party make racists remarks towards Cheryl.
Person vs. Society
"He'll realize that Aprils not in our league, and the best thing for her is a divorce. I'll make sure." (Page 133)
Heather Langdon
A recurring idea, theme, or symbolic element.
Motif
Mrs. Radcliff knew about her son's affair with this woman.
Heather Langdon
"He smiled the same kind of smile I had seen a long time ago on his mother's face when she was that age, the age of innocence" (page 241).
Henry Liberty
Mrs. Semple once prophesized about the lives April and Cheryl might lead, calling it the "native girls syndrome." Cheryl falls victim to it.
Person vs. Fate
"Well, I didn't want to get the same hassles you were getting. I'm chicken. I couldn't take that kind of thing." (Page 81).
Jennifer
A hint that tells the reader what is to come.
For example: When April comments that her and Cheryl are nearly identical.
Foreshadowing
These two teachers finally believed April after she wrote a story about living at the DeRosiers.
Mrs. Wartzman and Mrs. Gauthier