Bullying

Through its portrayal of how protagonist Ally and other characters deal with being bullied, the narrative contends that defending oneself against bullying depends in large part upon believing that there is something IN oneself worth defending. This idea is developed primarily in Ally’s story, as she moves from feeling attacked by teachers and fellow students to a place of feeling mutual respect with the former and feeling confident enough to defend herself from the latter. The particular point to note here is that in the narrative’s early stages, as she experiences being on the receiving end of negative actions from both her teachers and her classmates, she has convinced herself that they are right – that she is a troublemaker, and that she is stupid. It takes the sensitive teaching of Mr. Daniels, the compassionate empathy of her mother, and above all, the support of...