Hummingbird

“Fragile is what I’ll always be. I get that.

But I am

a thousand other things, too.

I’m

whole constellations

of wonders and weirdness

and hope.”

Olive’s encounter with the woman at church who calls her “fragile as a falling star” incites her desperate desire to go to traditional school and prove herself to be more than just “fragile.” This quote, taken from the first verse shift in the novel, introduces Olive’s internal conflict about being seen as fragile and introduces fragility as a motif that drives the novel’s exploration of Existing with Limitations and Fragility, Vulnerability, and Strength. The “constellations” metaphor recurs in other verse sections, such as in Chapter 15, “The Reverse-Cursed Mirror,” to illustrate Olive’s shifting perspective of herself and the introduction of her insecurities. In the final verse section of the novel, Olive once again acknowledges herself as a constellation of things but demonstrates her changed perspective by no longer seeing herself as fragile. This quote characterizes Olive’s perspective at the beginning of her journey and introduces the motifs and ideas that will structure her development.

“I’m changing. Change is coming, and it’s me. I am going to Macklemore. I will find my future BFF, and I will prove to absolutely every soul in this place that

I’m more

than bones and wheels

and breakable parts.”

Olive’s declaration following her encounter with the woman who loudly prays for her to be “healed” sets the direction and tone of Olive’s character arc and initiates her emotional journey.