An Understandable 6th Grade Girl

Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan Character Response

In the book, Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan, the protagonist, Natalie, displays a common teenage internal need to go well out of her way to please others. For instance, during English class, Natalie’s teacher announces a statewide story contest and heartily pushes the class to participate. Natalie is fiercely compelled to craft her story, yet Lily believes it “sounds like a nerd fest,” and Natalie “can’t keep doing nerdy things if [she] want[s] to get Lily back” (Scrivan 68). This illustrates Natalie’s extreme desire to earn the validation of others at the expense of her well-being. Instead of fueling her passion, she is more concerned over Lily’s immaterial judgments, proving that Natalie is amidst the ever so gawky teenage state of high self-consciousness. Furthermore, after her sudden rift with Lily, Natalie creates a running list of her systematic approach to look “cooler” in hopes that she can restore her friendship with her. Natalie faithfully commits to “do cooler things” like “play field hockey,” “get cooler shoes,” and “grovel” (Scrivan 78–81). This places an emphasis on Natalie’s tendency to put the demands of others above her own. She is running after the attention of a backstabber whose friendship with her was fake, a shared practice amongst middle schoolers as they navigate the hardships of friendship change. By and large, Natalie’s pleaser personality shapes her into the sixth grade girl who undergoes the relatable highs and lows of a friendship transformation in middle school. Ultimately, this leaves the reader with the lasting hopes that she has a memorable first year alongside authentic, valuable friends who encourage her positive energy.

Another aspect of Natalie that makes her very teen-like is being excessively critical of herself. During lunch hour, Natalie and her friend Zoe discuss their recently snapped school photos. In an effort to cover her face paint from yesterday’s theater performance, Natalie uses a scarf to conceal the leftovers and remarks, “That class photo’s going to show everyone how big of a dork I am!” (Scrivan 152). This reinforces the drastic self-criticism residing within Natalie. Rather than focusing on the positive aspects, such as how the picture is distinct and unique, she devalues its worth, a disservice to her esteem but also a common teen phase as she begins to find her identity. Later in the book, when Natalie and a few of her friends snack together one afternoon, they discuss plans for the story contest. Natalie interjects, “I don’t need to look like any more of a loser than I am,” arguing that “it’s too nerdy” (Scrivan 154). This exhibits Natalie’s negative evaluation of herself because she insists that simply participating in a “nerdy” contest according to her “friend” will create a disreputable image of herself. This anxiety is prevalent in middle schoolers while they approach the teen years as a part of gradually acquiring self-confidence. Everything considered, while Natalie’s quality can cause her emotional suffering, it is a typical experience teenagers face on the road to new rapid changes and exploration of oneself. This provides specifically teenage readers with strong text-to-self connections between them and Natalie.