Ava Character Analysis

Ava is the young narrator of the story “Shu Yi.” She lives with her family in a predominantly white Australian suburb. Ava is Black but resents it—her Blackness sets her apart from her peers, who are mostly white, and it makes her a frequent target of their bullying. However, after Shu Yi, a Chinese student, starts attending Ava’s school, Ava’s peers stop bullying Ava and start bullying Shu Yi instead. Ava recognizes that the bullying is wrong, but at the same time, she’s selfishly grateful that Shu Yi’s arrival has made her own life much easier. When Ava’s mum, who works at Ava’s school, notices the other students bullying Shu Yi, she immediately recognizes the bullying as racially motivated and encourages Ava to defend Shu Yi and make her feel comfortable. Ava’s mum is shocked when Ava doesn’t seem interested in helping Shu Yi—she thinks Ava’s own history of being bullied and knowing what it feels like to be an outsider should only make Ava more determined to be an ally to Shu Yi. Nevertheless, when Shu Yi turns to Ava for help after kids are harassing her during recess, Ava rejects Shu Yi and calls her a racial slur. Ava’s failure to help Shu Yi shows how prejudice can perpetuate prejudice when people who have experienced discrimination themselves fail to act in solidarity with others experiencing discrimination.