I’ll Give You the Sun

by

Jandy Nelson

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on I’ll Give You the Sun makes teaching easy.

I’ll Give You the Sun Characters

Noah Sweetwine

Noah is the first of the novel’s two protagonists and narrators, roles he shares with his twin sister Jude. Sensitive, introverted, and closeted, Noah is thirteen years old at the start of the novel… read analysis of Noah Sweetwine

Jude Sweetwine

The second of the novel’s two protagonists and narrators, Jude is Noah’s twin sister. At the start of the novel, she is a reckless social butterfly who throws herself into securing the attention of… read analysis of Jude Sweetwine

Dianna Sweetwine / Mom

At the start of the novel, Jude and Noah believe that their art-professor mother, Dianna, is a “blow-in” from another realm or even another planet. She is so ethereally beautiful to them, so unlike their… read analysis of Dianna Sweetwine / Mom

Benjamin Sweetwine / Dad

Noah and Jude’s father and Dianna’s husband, Benjamin, is a scientist who studies parasites. A deeply rational man, Benjamin seems intimidated by and contemptuous of his wife and children’s beliefs in the supernatural… read analysis of Benjamin Sweetwine / Dad

Grandma Sweetwine

Grandma Sweetwine, Benjamin’s eccentric mother, is already dead at the start of the novel, but when Dianna purports to be able to communicate with the woman’s ghost, Jude and Noah’s beliefs in the afterlife… read analysis of Grandma Sweetwine
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Guillermo Garcia

The “rock star” of the sculpture world, Colombian sculptor Guillermo Garcia is a bear of a man whose recent heartbreak has caused him to retreat into his studio and refuse much contact with the outside… read analysis of Guillermo Garcia

Oscar Ralph / The English Guy

Guillermo’s assistant, Oscar, is a university student and former wild child whose path crosses with both Noah’s and Jude’s at different times in the twins’ lives. When Oscar meets Noah, Noah never… read analysis of Oscar Ralph / The English Guy

Brian Connelly / The Boy from the Roof

A high school boy who comes to Lost Cove for the summer the year that Noah and Jude are thirteen years old. Noah and Brian are immediately drawn to one another, and embark upon a… read analysis of Brian Connelly / The Boy from the Roof

Zephyr

A high school boy who often bullies Noah despite his friendship with—and attraction to—Noah’s twin sister, Jude. Zephyr eventually takes Jude’s virginity when she is only fourteen, leading to years of stony silence between… read analysis of Zephyr
Minor Characters
Fry
A high school bully who is friends with Zephyr.
Sandy Ellis
The master ceramicist at CSA and Jude’s advisor.
Heather
A local girl who is friends with Noah and Jude. She helps Jude keep an eye on Noah as his behavior over the years grows more and more reckless. To impress his father, the closeted Noah pretends Heather is his girlfriend.
Courtney
A local girl who has a brief relationship with Brian. This sparks Noah’s outrage, and Noah cruelly outs Brian to her.
Sophia
A beautiful and glamorous friend of Oscar’s whom Jude assumes is his girlfriend. She turns out to be Oscar’s ex-girlfriend, and Jude learns that the pair has managed to remain friends.
Brooke
A girl whom Oscar kisses mere hours after he and Jude start to grow closer. Oscar later admits that he only kissed Brooke because he was so scared of Jude and what was blossoming between them.