Bella

Bella is an important character in the short story “The Meaning of Clouds” by Natalie Cox. She is six and a half years old (l. 15). Her parents are divorced. Mags is her father’s partner, and Bella refers to her as “stepmother”. 

Bella is very direct in her communication. She tells people the truth, even if it is unpleasant. For instance, she tells the man at the ice cream shop that her parents got divorced and Mags is unemployed (ll. 32-33), which Mags believes is sharing too much (l. 39). Bella is so young that she does not have a full understanding of social situations and what might not be appropriate to share with strangers.

Bella seems to be used to getting her way, which suggests she is not used to having someone tell her no. For instance, she grabs Mags’s h...