Do you think Samantha is relatable?

Discuss the February 2016 book of the month, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.
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mmandy38
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Re: Do you think Samantha is relatable?

Post by mmandy38 »

She is definitely relatable. I knew plenty of girls in high school that acted just like her.
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Post by micoleon13 »

I definitely this Samantha was relatable. Everything is a big deal in high school, it feels like the most important time in your life while youre in it, and that anything that happens is at extremes. Throw in hormones, popularity issues, life choices, first time sexual relations, as well as discovering who you are as a person, and there is a lot going on. Samantha showed this side very well as her priorities changed the more she lived through the day, and grew into more who she would have become. That would still include some self centered aspects as well.
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ErinM
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Post by ErinM »

I certainly couldn't relate to her and spent the first half of the book wanting to slap her and her friends silly!

I like to think that people who witness the horrible treatment of others would stand up for them instead of laying in the boot, but I know that isn't always the case. Samantha came across as shallow and mean, and with no reason but to stay popular and keep her 'friends.' I'm sure many young girls and guys have been in exactly her position, and fearing to be on the receiving end, they participate in the bullying. I thank my lucky stars that my school wasn't like that and I had a relatively boring high school experience, I know others aren't so lucky. I'm just not sure I could stand by and watch someone belittle other like that.

To me, Samantha is not relatable, but she certainly is believable.
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Post by Serena_Charlotte »

I can relate to Samantha because everybody goes through a kind of growth period, including me. Very few people actually start out as inherently good people. When I was younger, I found myself locked into a cycle of denial, denying the person I was meant to be, and instead chasing a societal ideal. I can understand the appeal of being accepted. Also like most people, she goes through this period of change with each cycle, learning how to be a better person by understanding other human beings and seeing the world from different perspectives, which ultimately allows us to experience a paradigm shift.
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Post by Klf0510 »

I definitely think that Samantha is a relatable character. I think that even if you were not like Samantha, you most likely knew someone who was. If you were not ever a follower trying to fit in, you knew of someone who was. I grew up in a very small town and there were people who were like Samantha, well-liked but also would do as her friends did in order to remain in her tight social circle. Though she is relatable, her actions might not be desirable to the reader.
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Post by mcfeealexis »

I think that Samantha is very relatable. She repersents the girls in middle and high school that followers others because they know each other since they were young. I felt that she did not know the harm that she and her friends were causing because she was in this little bubble with her friends and very had the thought to think of others. When she started going through the different cycles she started to realize that there was a world outside of her and the things she did had consequences. People who change like that truly does not hate anyone or what to be mean but because of her friends and environment it turned out that way.
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Post by atonykamau »

I don't think she was relatable because in my experience there weren't many girls who acted like her.
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Post by AnnaKathleen »

I'm so happy to find some others who have read this book! :) I didn't like Samantha at first, but I grew to appreciate and relate to some of the reasons she was the way that she was. People can easily go in that direction if they lose focus of things or have things they are dealing with, especially if they are oblivious to the change. However, I loved when she realized it and tried to change, first for selfish reasons and then in a manner that was completely selfless. I think the development was very potent and made it a story that stuck with me.
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Post by AmySmiles »

I didn't like her at first either, but I feel like she grew a lot and learned from her actions.
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Post by booklysis »

Yeah, Samantha is relatable to me since I am almost like her. Though I am not that mean but I sometimes I do meany things without even realising the consequences.
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Post by Salma M »

Samantha is relatable because like so many youths she is not a bad person but had to do some mean things in order to fit in.
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Post by Manogna Thumukunta »

I do think she is relatable at surface level....There are some aspects of her that bugged me when reading , but the plot and writing made me feel connected to her at all points.
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Post by Dzejn_Crvena »

I do not relate to Samantha or any of her friends. Even the other characters are different from the people I see everyday.
Maybe I just live in a different environment or I just don't notice enough of the people portrayed in the book.
I may have some classmates who can relate to Sam & Co, but I don't know them enough to confirm.
My school is a controlled environment, so not every "mean girl" can do whatever she wants there.
just call me "jane" :tiphat:
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Post by k_madhu_jha »

At first no. We all have faced such mean girls in school. But Samantha changed eventually. She realized her wrongdoings. But no I couldn't relate with her.
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Post by Hyacinth Bella »

Samantha is relatable and I understood her. She was an outcast before because everyone kept laughing and insulting her for her looks, but then all of a sudden her world turns around, and then she felt like she belonged. I'm proud that she grew out of her character and developed into a whole new person.
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