54 pages • 1 hour read
A Work in Progress
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Character Analysis
Will Chambers
Content Warning: This section discusses anti-fat bias, bullying, body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and self-harm.
The novel is in the style of Will’s journal, written in verse. As such, Will is both protagonist and first-person narrator, and his character is the most well-rounded and nuanced. Often, the formal style of Will’s narration is indicative of his mental and physical state. For instance, when he grows distressed, the verse becomes more fragmented. When he passes out, the pages become entirely blacked out, obscuring words and dialogue. Will, who likes art, often draws sketches in the margins of the journal that complement the meaning of the passage. For instance, scribbles in dark ink symbolize his frustration, distress, and other negative emotions. When he hears about or perceives other people gossiping about him, he draws disembodied mouths in the margins.
After being insulted by Nick in public in elementary school, Will realizes the extent of Individual and Systemic Anti-Fat Bias in the world around him. He internalizes this bias and believes it is his fault, and he deserves it. He believes he was wrong to live his life “like [he] was / as good / as anyone else” (22). The idea that he is “less than” becomes a perceived fact in his life. This perception influences how he conducts himself in the world: he wears large clothing and physically and emotionally isolates himself from peers so they cannot “see” the real him. This leads to his struggles with Authenticity, Friendship, and What It Means to Be Seen.
Because Will believes being fat makes him “less than,” as criticism and judgment from his peers grow, he begins disordered eating. First, he binge-eats to numb himself, and then he starts restrictive eating. He meets Markus during this time. Will is shut off by Markus’s openness and his attempts to get to know Will as he truly is. Only after Will’s restrictive eating causes a medical incident and shows Will the implications of his actions does Will open up to Markus, finally letting him “see” him. At the end of the novel, Will does not have a fully positive outlook on himself. This shows how Body Image, Self-Critique, and Self-Acceptance are always a “work in progress.” Will’s main character growth comes from the fact that he is now aware of his negative self-image and is willing to try and address it in the future.
Markus
Though only a seventh grader, Markus embodies the Jungian character archetype “the mentor.” Mentor figures are calm and collected characters who have “not just technical knowledge and skills, but also impart moral wisdom and life lessons, playing a crucial role in the personal growth of the protagonist” (Leighfield, Luke. “The 12 Character Archetypes.” Boords, 2023). As the mentor figure, Markus’s entire role in the text is to aid Will in his self-actualization. He moves to town for the duration of time needed to impact Will’s life, and then he moves away again. Though Markus uses personal anecdotes about not letting social pressures lead him into conformity, very little is known about Markus as a character. This makes him a static character without growth or a character arc of his own—besides his commitment to get Will to open up to him.
Markus dresses in a punk aesthetic, with long black hair, black skinny jeans, and nails that are always painted a different neon color. He is compassionate and insightful, almost immediately noticing that Will never eats and trying to talk to him about it. His insight comes in the form of personal anecdotes, where he tells Will stories about his journey toward presenting himself authentically as opposed to attempting to fit in with others and realizing he is a work in progress. Markus also gives Will a skateboard, which becomes a metaphor for finding balance in life. After Will’s medical incident, Will begins to try to see himself as Markus sees him rather than as he sees himself. As a character, Markus supports the theme of Authenticity, Friendship, and What It Means to Be Seen.
Jules
Jules is Will’s crush and a minor side character. Though she is pretty, Will is drawn to her because the doodles on her notebooks tell him that she draws like he does. Her character exists mainly to heighten Will’s internal conflict, specifically, his perception that fat people cannot be in relationships with thin people:
Jules can’t like [him] back
because she
looks like her
and I
look like me (59-60).
Will does not see fat and thin people as compatible romantic partners because of the representations of relationships he has seen in the media. This belief indicates the level of dehumanization inherent in Individual and Systemic Anti-Fat Bias, wherein fat people are not represented as worthy of love.
This belief keeps Will from talking to Jules. The moment he finally talks to her about the art club is a major milestone in his character development after he begins to take steps toward accepting his body. Though he is full of doubt and self-consciousness, he tells Jules he’s starting an art club and she should join. Though her friends snort and look “horrified,” Jules “smiles.” She knows Will by name and is interested in his idea.
As there is only one scene where Jules speaks, she is a relatively flat character. The most dynamic characteristic she has is how she does not stigmatize fatness the way her peers do, though this is mostly hinted at. The novel suggests that Jules and Will might develop a friendlier relationship in the future, as Will leaves their interaction believing “this won’t be / the last conversation / Jules and I have” (347).
Nick Fisher
Nick Fisher is a minor antagonist. The derisive way he calls Will “fat” in fourth grade makes Will realize the extent of anti-fat bias around him. Nick’s role is thus related to the theme of Individual and Systemic Anti-Fat Bias.
When Nick calls Will “fat” in the hallway, he does not mean the word descriptively but as an insult. Will’s drawing of Nick in his journal shows the boy scowling, with deep frown lines and two rainclouds over his shoulders: one with rain and one with lightning. This visual image emphasizes how Nick looms over Will, like the presence of a dark cloud during an impending storm. The way Nick says “fat” makes Will feel like he “committed / a crime” (4), and Nick wants everyone to know he was “GUILTY.” Guilty is in capital letters, stressing its importance in the narrative. From this moment on, Nick’s initial judgment launches Will into near-constant guilt about eating and about being fat.
Nick creates a spectacle out of his insult. This, combined with the guilt, makes Will feel like a highly observed and scrutinized outsider in a place he’d fit in before. This awareness shows Will the extent of anti-fat bias in society around him. Will specifically identifies the moment Nick insulted him as the moment he realizes that merely seeing him
made everyone
who saw me
feel uncomfortable
or filled them
with disgust (21).
Though Nick’s appearance in the novel is brief, it has an outsized influence as the inciting event for the internal conflict Will faces throughout the text.
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