Starfish

Catalina is a secondary character who reinforces The Importance of Support from Others theme. She and her family provide Ellie company and a space wherein she is accepted and understood. Catalina stands in stark contrast to Ellie’s classmates, and even Ellie’s own siblings—who are either outright malicious or passive to Ellie’s abuse. She is one of the few people who never mocks Ellie for her weight, and actively reinforces that none of Ellie’s abuse is her fault.

Catalina and Ellie first meet in Poem 7: “Bellies Dancing,” when Catalina overhears Ellie and Viv’s music and joins their dancing. Although Ellie is initially suspicious of Catalina’s intentions, Catalina proves herself to be a faithful friend. Catalina and Ellie bond over music and words, as Catalina is a musician who writes lyrics and Ellie is a poet. Connecting over these modes of self-expression deepens the girls’ bond and simultaneously reinforces The Power of Words. The girls also connect over their experiences of being excluded at school—Ellie because of bullying, and Catalina because she is a new student. Catalina and her family are also mistreated for being Mexican, a point of reflection for Ellie who has long felt like she doesn’t belong in the world.

Over the course of the novel, the girls’ friendship deepens, and Catalina continues to support Ellie in many ways. She is the first to suggest to Ellie that Mom’s thinking is the problem, not her own weight. After Ellie’s desk incident, Catalina intuits what happened and tells her that others’ actions are a reflection of them, not her (133). Catalina’s understanding and support help Ellie process her emotions and deepen their trust. An important moment for Catalina’s character is in Poem 118: “Unwrapped,” when she gives Ellie a mirror. The mirror symbolizes Catalina’s role in the narrative: She is a kind of mirror for Ellie, showing Ellie her worth and beauty by being a loyal, accepting friend.

Ellie’s Dad is one of her biggest supporters. He contrasts with Mom, who criticizes Ellie and centralizes weight loss as the solution to all of Ellie’s problems. As a psychiatrist, Dad knows the importance of emotional well-being, of Self-Acceptance: Being Comfortable Taking Up Space and The Importance of Support from Others. While Mom only seems to care about Ellie’s weight, Dad emphasizes Ellie’s mind and heart. Still, he isn’t always able to protect her. In Poem 131: “Forgiven,” he apologizes to Ellie for allowing Mom to treat her cruelly and for not intervening when she took her to insensitive doctors.

Ellie’s Mom is one of the most significant influences on Ellie’s negative self-image. Mom’s character communicates The Power of Words theme. Like Ellie, Mom is a writer—however, while Ellie is a poet, Mom is a journalist. These roles symbolize the main difference between their use of words: While Ellie sees herself as a storyteller, “Mom’s a journalist, / determined to expose / all that’s wrong in the world / and spotlight everyone’s flaws, / not caring if she / gets under people’s skin” (21). This is exactly how Ellie perceives her relationship with Mom: Mom is determined to “fix” what she perceives to be wrong with Ellie, without any regard for how Ellie is hurt in the process. Ironically, in Poem 142: “Behold the Thing,” Mom tells Ellie that she should “use [words] as tools, / not weapons” (230), and Ellie sarcastically reminds Mom of all the ways she’s used her own words as weapons against her daughter.

Poem 65: “Where Hate Comes From” highlights the main difference between Dad and Mom, and illuminates Mom’s negative impact on Ellie. Dad’s reaction to the father of the young boy who insults Ellie is appropriately protective; he recognizes the mistreatment for what it is and demands an apology. However, Mom forces the family to leave the restaurant and says that she feels “humiliated” (96). Ellie ends this poem with the lines “Like I said, / Mom always decides what I get” (96), suggesting that Mom has taught her to accept ill treatment from others. Mom perpetuates and reinforces Ellie’s negative self-image by framing her as someone undeserving of respect.

Although Mom’s stated motivation is for Ellie “to be okay” (218), her actions leave her feeling unloved—and ultimately instill a negative relationship with food and self-image in Ellie. Despite Mom’s apology at the end of “Behold the Thing,” “the hurt’s still too deep” (231) and Ellie cannot accept her love. At the climax of the novel, in Poem 146: “Weight of Words,” Mom falls apart as Ellie presents her with all the harmful words she’s said, demonstrating that she finally understands what she has done to her daughter. However, it is uncertain if this lesson sticks.

Ellie’s older siblings are sources of pain for her, albeit in different ways. While Liam behaves no differently than Ellie’s school bullies, Anaïs is passive toward Liam and Mom’s abuse of Ellie. Anaïs is also the originator of Ellie’s nickname “Splash,” used by bullies at school to mock her weight. In other words, Ellie’s siblings represent two forms of harm that target her weight.

Throughout the novel, Liam treats Ellie hatefully. In Poem 67: “Liam’s Wish,” Ellie learns the true extent of Liam’s feelings for her after she accidentally reads his journal: “Liam is so full of hate for me, / I can’t even think of him / as my brother anymore” (99). After Ellie’s desk incident at school, Liam cruelly mocks her in Poem 84: “Brace, Brace, Brace”—despite knowing how badly she was hurt. This demonstrates his utter lack of care for Ellie. In “Brace, Brace, Brace,” Ellie also notices Anaïs give her “sad puppy eyes” (99). Liam partakes in active, hateful bullying, and Anaïs is complicit in this bullying by not choosing to act.

While Liam remains a static character, in Poems 88-89 (“Treat Me Better” and “Sisters At Last”), Anaïs and Ellie’s relationship transforms after Anaïs takes responsibility for her passivity. Anaïs actively supports Ellie in Poem 139: “Outnumbered,” when the younger confronts her bullies once and for all. This redemption highlights the toxic behavior of characters like Liam, who don’t take steps to be kinder.

Marissa and Kortnee are Ellie’s primary tormentors at school. They are responsible for pranks such as the desk incident in Poem 80: “Swarmed,” and they catalyze the novel’s climax in Poems 138-139 (“Held for Ransom” and “Outnumbered”) when they capture Ellie’s dog Gigi and pressure Ellie for “ransom” (Ellie eating a whale-shaped cake on video). While neither character ever achieves redemption, their cruelty serves to contrast with Ellie’s kindness. Enemy Number 3 is another of Ellie’s bullies; he insults Ellie in the hallways at school, though she later learns that he is being bullied himself. Together, Ellie’s three school bullies reinforce the theme of Defending Yourself Without Attacking Others. Marissa, Kortnee, and Enemy Number 3 clearly turn their insecurities outward, redirecting them into attacks on others.

In Poem 115: “I’m Ellie,” Ellie pointedly says to her English class (for her book report) that “A lot of people blindly follow others / instead of thinking for themselves, / having their own voice” (185)—and follows this statement by asserting that being different is perfectly acceptable, that others should embrace their unique selves rather than acting differently to gain others’ acceptance and approval. Ellie looks directly at Kortnee while she says it, suggesting that Kortnee merely follows Marissa’s lead because she’s desperate for social acceptance. Like Ellie, Kortnee may struggle with belonging or fitting in—but unlike Ellie, Kortnee ostracizes others just to feel secure.

Enemy Number 3 is never referred to by name, but helps Ellie realize that some bullies become who they are as a reaction to their own bullying. In Poem 44: “The Question,” Enemy Number 3 trips over a loose shoe sole, then quickly looks around to check that no one witnessed it. His broken sole suggests that he cannot replace his worn shoes, with his reaction before insulting Ellie suggesting that he is deeply insecure about this. When this insecurity is triggered, he redirects it at others to save face.

Narratively, Enemy Number 3’s character also gives Ellie a chance to demonstrate her kindness and distinguish herself from people who bully because they’ve been bullied. In Poem 95: “Pure Garbage,” Ellie responds contemptuously to Enemy Number 3 when he describes what bullying feels like: “Bruises are purple. / Anger is red. / Sadness is blue. [...] / [Black] is how you feel inside / when you’ve been bullied” (149). She doesn’t believe he knows this feeling, as he is a bully himself; furthermore, she cannot fathom why someone who knows the pain of being bullied would choose to inflict this hurt on others. In Poem 119: “Serving Christmas,” Ellie decides not to comment on Enemy Number 3’s economic situation: “He might not deserve that kindness, / but I know he needs it” (191). Through this relationship, the narrative makes it clear that being bullied isn’t an excuse for attacking and harming others, and that an individual has control over where they redirect their pain.