53 pages • 1 hour read
Ali BenjaminThe Thing About Jellyfish
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Suzy Swanson (“Zu”)
Suzy is the main character and tells the story from her first person point of view. She is currently in seventh grade in South Grove, Massachusetts. Suzy has frizzy, hard-to-control hair and does not have much interest in clothes, styles, make-up, or boys. Her parents divorced at the end of her fifth grade year, and she lives with her mother. She sees her father at least once every Saturday night for dinner, a promise he made and kept since the divorce. Suzy has one older brother, Aaron, who attends the local university. He and his boyfriend Rocco visit Suzy and her mother occasionally. Suzy is interested in science.
Suzy’s most impactful friendship is with a girl named Franny. They were so close when they were in elementary school that teachers suggested that Suzy “branch out” and make other friends in addition to Franny, but Suzy was never interested. To Suzy, change comes painfully when they begin middle school. The unraveling of her friendship with Franny is troubling as their interests grow apart, then hurtful when Franny rejects Suzy. Suzy eventually finds herself alone in school and social situations.
Suzy begins seventh grade changed as a character because after she loses Franny’s friendship, Franny dies suddenly over the summer between sixth and seventh grade. Suzy attends counseling, and her teachers discuss her noticeable behavior differences. The loss of Franny leaves an empty void inside Suzy, and she believes that making sense of Franny’s tragic death will fill that void. By the end of the novel, Suzy becomes open to new experiences and new friends, demonstrating that growth and maturity in her newfound acceptance of herself and others.
Franny Jackson
Franny Jackson is Suzy’s best friend. They met when they were five years old, but their friendship gradually fell apart in sixth grade. Franny is a confident swimmer at the age of five, but, ironically, she drowns in the ocean while on vacation in Maryland just before the start of seventh grade.
In elementary school, Franny struggles with reading aloud and memorizing facts. When middle school begins, Franny develops interests in clothing, boys, and makeup, interests which Suzy does not share. In sixth grade, Franny develops friendships with other girls like Aubrey and Molly. She tries to invite Suzy along into her new social circle, but Suzy is possessive of their friendship. Franny’s new friends find Suzy strange and awkward, which hastens Franny’s rejection of Suzy. Franny transitions from Suzy’s friend to her antagonist who name calls, laughs at, and even spits on Suzy. When Suzy decides to remind Franny of their friendship, she chooses a communication approach that involves placing frozen urine in Franny’s locker where it melts, soaking her possessions; this failed attempt at communication is the last one Suzy has with Franny before Franny unexpectedly dies. Suzy and the reader never learn if Franny understood the message, or even recognized who sent it.
Mom (Meg Swanson)
Suzy’s mother is a busy single parent. She and Suzy’s father are divorced. She is a real estate agent who sometimes has early morning appointments. Suzy thinks of her as scattered and forgetful, which makes it easy for Suzy to take money from her mom’s wallet. Suzy is frustrated with her mom’s explanation about Franny’s death.
Suzy’s mother is a stable and static character who manages her emotions well, though she displays sadness at Franny’s funeral and concern for Suzy at the first appointment with Dr. Legs. She works to keep control of her temper on stressful occasions, such as when Suzy oversleeps on a rushed morning or when Suzy is temperamental with the toaster. Suzy’s mother calmly listens to Suzy when Suzy’s attempt to fly to Australia fails, and stays home from work the next day both to be with Suzy and to arrange a refund of the significant ticket money. Her mother is a caretaking figure who helps support Suzy emotionally through understanding and problem-solving, such as when she convinces Suzy to enter the dance by arranging a back-up rescue if needed.
Dad (Jim Swanson)
Suzy’s father sees Suzy at least once a week at their Saturday evening get-together at Ming Palace restaurant. He also attends the first counseling session with Dr. Legs, where he speaks about his own frustration with Suzy’s “not-talking,” as he sees her infrequently. He is an understanding and supportive parent, although Suzy mentions two times when communication between them is not clear: once when she tries to tell him about the Great Pacific Garbage Vortex, and once when he is on a business call at the start of one of their Ming Palace dinners; Suzy decides during that dinner to give up meaningless small talk. He is forgiving when Suzy steals his credit card info for the airline ticket and receptive to changing their weekly restaurant to a new place.
Mrs. Turton
Mrs. Turton becomes a supportive mentor figure for Suzy in seventh grade. She offers the class fascinating science facts, responds with praise to Suzy’s research presentation, and gives Suzy a safe place in which to eat lunch after sensing the hostility that students direct toward Suzy. Mrs. Turton is a teacher who uses kindness to inspire students. She serves as a foil to Mr. Andrews, the teacher who rudely slights Suzy at the sixth grade campout for her response about hearing an orchestra in the night.
Justin Maloney
Justin is a classmate of Suzy’s, as well as her lab partner, and he tries to make friends with Suzy at the beginning of seventh grade. He has a reputation for being mischievous, but he is kind and genuine and makes wise analogies while showing interest in and concern for Suzy. His antics lessen in seventh grade thanks to his medication, and he speaks positively about the improved focus his medicine gives him. Justin’s character symbolizes how change can be positive, controlled, and constructive. Suzy eventually accepts Justin as a potential friends and joins him along with a circle of other peers at the Heroes and Villains dance.
Aaron and Rocco
Aaron is Suzy’s brother. He coaches soccer at the nearby university, and Rocco, a graduate student, is his boyfriend. Aaron and Rocco are reliable guides to Suzy, and they recall the complexities of middle school with much greater clarity than her parents. Suzy learns from Aaron that middle school is sometimes difficult but essential and that her experiences there, while important and valid, do not have to define who she will become. Suzy carries Aaron’s seventh grade photo in her pocket as a reminder of his support and her future.
