Allusion, Characterization

"That's why she often looked more like the Wicked Witch than a movie star." PAGE 141

The narrator uses an allusion here to help the reader visualize what Chrissie looked like sometimes. She said that she was actually rather beautiful, but her posture suggested otherwise. The allusion is to the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. The witch in the movie hunches over and is not very attractive. Kathy did not go into more detail because she expected her audience to know what she was comparing her to. The allusion provides a visual for the reader.

This chapter also gave a more detailed characterization of Chrissie. She had been mentioned before, but this time Kathy told about the different personalities she portrayed. She told the reader about her physical appearance as well as the way she handled situations. Chrissie seemed to her to be in awe of the Hailsham students which insinuates that she did not go to Hailsham like Kathy and Ruth.

A major piece of information about the students' lives is also revealed. The students were created from "natural" people for the purpose of being a donation match. The students are clones created for the gain of other people.