Bone Gap

The way characters see themselves often doesn’t align with how they appear and the way that others see them. For example, Roza’s outward beauty attracts attention, but it’s not a reflection of who she really is. Most people don’t get to see her true self—that she is a strong, smart, capable woman who is brave in the face of danger, stands up for others, and genuinely loves life. The experience of being seen makes her enjoy Finn and Sean’s company; she feels “so light around them” (237). The pressure to be perfect has weighed so long on Roza; she has never known another way to be. Sean and Finn let her be her true self, and she enjoys being with them.

People also don’t see Finn for who he truly is. Like with Roza, people notice his attractive features. He’s viewed, like his mother, as spacey and distractible. This is due to his face blindness, which no one, including Finn, realizes he has until later in the novel. It’s the source of one of the biggest misunderstandings between Finn and Petey. Rather than seeing Finn for who he is, Petey latches onto her fears and ideas that feed her insecurities.