The reason A is my favorite character is because he believes in love and has a set of ethics he is committed to. Waking up in a different body each day never having to feel the affects of the night before is a recipe for a chaotic life. Yet from even the start of the book A makes it clear he is just a guest in the body and does what is typically best for the individual he is inhabiting. Early in the book he falls in love with Rhiannon and although he knows she has a boyfriend, he literally discovered first hand, why he is no good for her. A continues to pursue Rhiannon and ultimately she falls for him but she thinks there is no future for them due to the lack of dependability due to A's living arrangement.
Near the end of the book A learns from another possessive spirit that he can stay in a body for more than 24 hours. Although this would allow for A and Rhiannon to be together, A remembers his ethics and refuses to steal somebodies life. In the end A wakes up in a body whose personality is much like his own and sets up the couple. A then swears to move far away so that Rhiannon can have a healthy relationship. A loved Rhiannon enough to sacrifice his own happiness to give her a chance normal life filled with love. The idea of sacrificing for a loved one is beautiful and most 16 year olds don't have the emotional ability to just voluntarily sacrifice an opportunity to better their life.
-Baron Barajas
I read this book for the first quarter,and A was definitely the most captivating character due to the fact that they are able to experience different walks of life and learn from them. However, I think I interpreted A differently than you because whereas you see A as a he, I would assume that A does not refer to themselves as a he or any gender for that matter, simply because what makes A special is that their beauty comes from the inside, not the outside. Regardless, A is a very strong individual for doing what is right for those that they love despite A's own personal feelings.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Karla! I also read this book (although it was a few years ago so I don't remember a whole lot), and I find it interesting how Baron -- and many other readers of this novel for that matter -- assume that A is a "he." The author makes it clear that A is neither a he or a she, so why do people assume that A's gender is male? Is it because A fell in love with Rhiannon in a male body? Is it something deeper, like a heteronormative mindset? Or is it something else?
DeleteI agree with you Baron about the simple fact that not many 16 year olds can sacrifice their own happiness for someone else. I've never read this book before but I feel like I would enjoy it. Just from reading this post it made me want to know more about the story behind A and his experiences!
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