Celia

Outer characterization

Celia is a main character in the short story “Celia Behind Me” by Isabel Huggan. She is eight or nine years old when the main events in the story take place. Celia has diabetes (l. 5). She is a year behind in school because she failed once (ll. 24-25). Elizabeth describes her as a short, chubby girl (l. 5) with “large smooth cheeks” (l.1). Celia wears “thick glasses” (ll. 1-2), which suggests her eyesight is very poor. She is overdressed, in winter and in summer: “bundled in long stockings and heavy underwear (...) so that even her clothes held her back” (ll. 19-20). This is possibly because of her poor health. She is unable to skip (l. 30) and cannot walk fast (ll. 17-18), probably also because of her health issues. She lives up the street from Elizabeth. The chi...