OnlineBookClub.org

That's exactly the same as they grown up. Q is still a follower even through he went on an adventure it was to chase out the two steps forward that she had already explored.

It definitely describes both of the characters. However, when Quentin goes on this crazy trip to find Margo you get to see him step out of his cautious shell. As for Margo you find out by the end that she is just this lonely person who is trying to live up to an idealized picture that doesn't represent her.

melbuhtoast wrote:This is a question that was in the discussion guide at the end of my copy of the book that I thought worth posting for you all:
When Margo and Quentin are nine they make a horrible discovery, and respond in very different ways. Quentin says, “As I took those two steps back, Margo took two equally small and quiet steps forward” (p.5). Do these descriptions still apply to the characters when they reach high school? When the story ends? What changes?

I'd say this is still applicable when they reach high school. At the beginning of the book, Margo has found her groove and her social group, and Quentin, although content, still seems to be finding his way. By the end of the book, however, I think it's reversed. Margo has hidden secrets of an unhappy home-life and internal issues she needs to work out; she's not who everyone thinks she is. Quentin has a group of friends who are willing to trek across the states with him. He is more mature, in a sense. I think as Margo takes two steps back to find herself, Quentin is taking two small and quiet steps forward.

Margo is obviously very outgoing and not afraid to do daring things while trying all kinds of new things. Quentin on the other hand is way more reserved and just kind of sticks to the normal stuff without really leaving his comfort zone. Due to this, I think there completely different personalities help each other. They both change each other without even realizing it.

There's no character development in Margo's. She was still the same adventurous and thrill-loving girl. Quentin, however, took a LOT OF RISK. More so than Margo ever took. Quentin went on a road trip with just his friends, did so much to solve Margo's stupid "clues" that tell wherever in the world she's hiding, risked his graduation day, fought with his friends, chose MARGO OVER HIS FRIENDS! MARGO! Who always leaves him alone and heartbroken to go along with her shenanigans.

I know Margo's a free spirit but she can't just keep coming back to Quentin every time she needs something then shove her lifestyle down Quentin's throat (i.e. asking him to help her seek revenge to this one guy, knowing fully well that Quentin won't say no to her.)

Megan Old wrote:There's no character development in Margo's. She was still the same adventurous and thrill-loving girl. Quentin, however, took a LOT OF RISK. More so than Margo ever took. Quentin went on a road trip with just his friends, did so much to solve Margo's stupid "clues" that tell wherever in the world she's hiding, risked his graduation day, fought with his friends, chose MARGO OVER HIS FRIENDS! MARGO! Who always leaves him alone and heartbroken to go along with her shenanigans.

I know Margo's a free spirit but she can't just keep coming back to Quentin every time she needs something then shove her lifestyle down Quentin's throat (i.e. asking him to help her seek revenge to this one guy, knowing fully well that Quentin won't say no to her.)

I agree with this. I think that Margo stayed the same up until the very end when she chatted in the grass with Quentin, but Quentin changed much sooner. When he found something he cared about, he ran full steam ahead and did not take steps back (as unwise as it might have been...).

Margo stays the same in that she was constantly moving forward. Quentin stopped being afraid and let his imagination and curiosity take over, which ultimately lead him to find Margo.

I absolutely love Margo! She is such an interesting character!

As for Margo, I don't think she had ever changed at all. She had always been that very adventurous girl who would inevitably fight for herself and never succumb to any restrictions or boundaries put on her life. She had the courage to do things and that just did not change at all during her road to maturity.
About Quentin,in my opinion, he did change a bit. During his childhood he proved himself to be lack of courage not only to approach that dead man but also to take any steps nearer the imponderables in life. But that night of his and Margo, he was apparently nearer to that threshold of being more "risky", even though he still worried and got anxious so easily to take those ventures with Margo. And through his journey to find Margo, he became a braver boy to dare go find her, solve the clues, go to places and do things he would never have done if he had been that same nine-year-old Quentin. Of course Quentin did not become fearless like Margo, but he did change. Even though he still kept that cautious character, his experiences were enough to give him something that totally changed the way he perceived life.

think Margo pretty much stays the same. The only difference I could imagine is her taking more sure steps forward together. She continually is moving forward without ever looking back at the things that could be consequences. Similarly, Q changes only in his reckless endeavors. I don´t think he would be as afraid when facing that situation, but he definitely would not step forward towards the situation. Nevertheless, I am positive he would not be afraid, just concerned.

I definitely think it does. Quentin acknowledges his timidness from the incipient stages of the novel and even labels himself as an outcast. Margo is described as alluring and adventurous, one of the 'it' girls. I think her act of drawing him out of his shell kind of equalizes them as the book progresses and by the end of it he's more open to trying new things. I feel that if he were to revisit that moment when they were nine, he would have taken those two steps with her.

When they reach high school? Absolutely. Margo is the 'push' type - her parents, her friends, the whole town. Quentin just disappeared into the sea of faces. When the story ends, however? He's more self-confident, more aware. We sorta see more of Quentin, really an A+ for character development.

I don't think Margo's character is that strong even she is illustrated as a superwoman in Q's eyes. Being cool and smart is not as the same as strong. While Q was a quite kid, he is a rule follower. I don't imply that being strict is strong. But being good is strong too. Eventhough some people may say it is weird, it is not.

While I can't be sure about Margo, I would say that Q changed in that regard. The journey he made in search of Margo has definitely changed him as a person.

Honestly, I only remember bits and pieces of the book. It's been several years since I have read it. What I remember of Margo though is her being very adventurous. She is not happy with her home life, so she does what she believes she has to in order to live her life. Therefore, I do think she is always taking two steps forward, even if it's towards danger. Quentin, if I am remembering correctly, is more held back. However, Margo encourages to be more courageous. He ends up being the one to take that step forward instead of stepping back.