Connor Character Analysis

Julia meets Connor, a white boy from the affluent suburb of Evanston, at a used bookstore in downtown Chicago. After bonding over their love of literature, Connor and Julia begin seeing one another regularly, even in the face of Julia’s mother’s restrictive rules. Though Julia is worried that Connor will look down on her or judge her because of the poor, working-class neighborhood she comes from, Connor is always kind to Julia—if slightly insensitive about her background. Julia believes she loves Connor, and she loses her virginity to him. As Julia’s home situation worsens, she’s grounded and banned from going into the city or using her cell phone. She calls Connor from a pay phone each day, but when her depression intensifies, Connor admits that he doesn’t know how to help Julia. Julia feels abandoned by Connor, and their estrangement contributes to her suicide attempt. After the attempt, an outpatient program, and a trip to Mexico, Julia is relieved to come home and find that Connor has been trying to get in touch with her for weeks—she doesn’t tell him all she’s been through, but they begin casually dating once again. After they’re both accepted into schools in New York for college, Julia takes comfort in the fact that they might see each other even after leaving Chicago, but doesn’t pin all her hopes on Connor, demonstrating a healthy detachment from him and an investment in her own independent growth. Julia’s intense but conflicting feelings for Connor—combined with her desire to keep him at arm’s length—are a large part of her shame over her working-class roots and her cultural background.