Michael Character Analysis in Monday’s Not Coming

Michael is Claudia’s love interest in the “After” timeline and Ms. Walker’s grandson. He’s a year older than Claudia and attends the same church. Claudia remembers him as Mikey, the chubby kid of the congregation. But Michael has grown up since then—now he’s tall, handsome, funny, and charming. At first, Claudia is reticent to get involved with Michael—largely because it seems like Ma asked Michael to befriend Claudia, and that he’s only nice because he pities her. Claudia refers to Michael as “Mr. Popular” at one point, because Michael is gregarious, kind, and can make anyone love him in mere minutes. Even Ma, who’s usually very strict, doesn’t express any interest in keeping him away from Claudia; she thinks he’s entirely trustworthy. Michael adores football above all else, which dictated where he chose to go to high school—and causes some issues for him. His dad has recently retired from the air force and took a job in Dubai. The job was supposed to be temporary, but when it turns out to be permanent, Michael is distraught: there’s no football in the Middle East. He eventually works it out with Ms. Walker to stay with her and finish school in Washington, D.C. Because Michael knows that his grandma tutors kids with learning disabilities, he realizes that Claudia dyslexia. Though Claudia fears that he’ll tease her or think less of her, Michael consistently tells her that she just thinks differently than other people and is just as smart as anyone else. As Claudia and Michael grow closer, he helps her unravel the mystery of what happened to Monday. As he spends more time with her, it doesn’t seem like he always knows for sure whether Claudia remembers what happened to Monday or not. Once Claudia finally remembers for the third time that Monday has been dead for two years, Claudia and Michael’s relationship finally becomes officially romantic. He helps her achieve closure by driving Claudia to listen to Mrs. Charles’s confession outside of Monday’s house.

Michael Quotes in Monday’s Not Coming

The Monday’s Not Coming quotes below are all either spoken by Michael or refer to Michael. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Couldn’t believe she’d just ditch me like this. She knew I needed her, knew if she wasn’t around teachers would find out about me. She was carrying me worse than Jacob ever carried her. How could she do this to me? Why hasn’t she called?

And why do I feel so alone?

Related Characters: Claudia Coleman (speaker), Monday Charles, Michael

Page Number and Citation: 154

Explanation and Analysis:

While Claudia and Michael are at the mall people watching, Claudia thinks to herself about how horrible Monday is for leaving her. Michael intercepted Claudia on her way to a tutoring session with his grandma, Ms. Walker, so she resents that more people than just her parents, the school, and Ms. Walker might find out that she has dyslexia. Claudia demonstrates here how fully she relied on Monday to help her with her schoolwork. The worst thing that could happen, in Claudia’s mind, is that teachers find out about her dyslexia—and now that Monday is gone, that’s exactly what happened. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt

“But I didn’t save her,” I said, bursting into tears. “I couldn’t save her.”

“You did save her, Claudia! You saved her from that house for years and you didn’t even know it.”

Related Characters: Claudia Coleman (speaker), Michael (speaker), Monday Charles

Page Number and Citation: 399

Explanation and Analysis:

After Claudia rereads all the media coverage surrounding Monday’s death two years ago, she calls Michael and asks why nobody ever spoke to her about Monday. It’s worth considering that though both Claudia and Michael are right here, they’re working with two very different definitions of saving Monday. In Claudia’s mind, she didn’t do nearly enough because she wasn’t able to prevent Monday’s murder. She fears that she’s at fault for not noticing red flags for years that would’ve indicated to a trained eye (or perhaps a less trusting one) that Monday was being abused. And in this sense, Claudia Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Acc

“Wait! How’d you get rid of the buzzing?”

Ms. Roundtree smiled, folding her hands together. “It’s all about the way you look at it. You got to decide what something is or isn’t. It may have been buzzing, but I decided it’s humming. Someone is just humming a song in my ear. A pretty song.”

Glancing at the house one last time, I gave Ms. Roundtree a hug. “Thank you.”

“Sure, baby, anytime.”

I jumped in the car, kissed Michael, and we drove off, cranking up Daddy’s newest song.

With Monday humming along.

Related Characters: Claudia Coleman (speaker), Ms. Roundtree (speaker), Monday Charles, Michael

Page Number and Citation: 434-435

Explanation and Analysis:

In order to get closure, Claudia asks Michael to drive her to Monday’s house so they can listen to Mrs. Charles’s confession and Claudia can visit the place where Monday died one final time. There, Claudia meets Monday’s long-time neighbor, Ms. Roundtree. From Ms. Roundtree, Claudia discovers that she’s not the only one haunted by the buzzing sound of Mrs. Charles’s freezer—Ms. Roundtree heard the freezer all the time from her house next door, and the sinister sound was disturbing for her, too. This helps Claudia realize that she doesn’t need to be ashamed of how her trauma manifests—while everyone’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tene

Michael Character Timeline in Monday’s Not Coming

The timeline below shows where the character Michael appears in Monday’s Not Coming. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Growing Up, Independence, and Friendship Theme Icon

Memory, Repression, and Trauma Theme Icon

...boy behind Claudia. Claudia doesn’t recognize him at first, but when he introduces himself as Michael, she remembers—this is Mikey. Michael insists he doesn’t use Mikey anymore. He was always the... (full context)

Michael jokes that he’s here to help with the DJ equipment and asks if Claudia has... (full context)

Claudia asks Michael about high school and, when he mentions he’s on the football team, asks if he... (full context)

When Claudia arrives at Ms. Walker’s to work on her essay, she finds Michael waiting for her on the stoop. He says that Ms. Walker is his grandma. Claudia... (full context)

...isn’t sure how to explain this to Ma, but she just needs an escape. And Michael isn’t the kind of guy to arouse suspicion. At the customer service counter, Michael returns... (full context)

As Michael and Kam banter, Claudia studies Megan. She looks away still, and Claudia wonders if Megan... (full context)

Michael, oblivious, leads Claudia to two more stores, greeting people everywhere. He finally notices Claudia is... (full context)

Claudia and Michael sit on a bench and people watch. Claudia can’t believe that Monday just ditched her.... (full context)

Family, Community, and Responsibility Theme Icon

Michael explains that his dad retired from the air force and now lives in Dubai, fixing... (full context)

Claudia gulps. Michael suddenly seems sexy and she spins away to hide her blush. She asks what else... (full context)

...class. Shannon and Megan whisper about Claudia not saying much, and another girl—Kit Kat—asks why Michael was asking about Megan. After class, Claudia changes before the other girls and tries to... (full context)

...elsewhere in the house and wonders how to defend herself. But Ma shouts that it’s Michael calling for Claudia. Claudia answers the phone and Michael invites her to come with him... (full context)

Poverty, Social Support, and Desperation Theme Icon

...flyers about the need to save Ed Borough. Claudia is suddenly gripped with fear, but Michael taps on the window and leads Claudia into the school. (full context)

In the bleachers, Claudia blushes and tells herself it’s not a date. Michael helps her out of her coat and grazes Claudia’s neck with his fingers, making Claudia... (full context)

...can’t fathom why April would do this when she knows how much it embarrasses Monday. Michael runs up to join Claudia and seems to know Keith. He explains that Claudia is... (full context)

Once Keith leaves, Claudia asks to talk to April alone. Michael heads back to the gym, angry. Claudia apologizes and then asks if Monday has been... (full context)

Ma takes a wrong turn and explains that she agreed to drive Michael to church. Claudia wants to scream—Michael didn’t say anything to her after the conversation with... (full context)

Michael insists on carrying Ma’s groceries inside for her when they get home and stares at... (full context)

Daddy helps Michael lift the TV onto the wall and discovers that Michael plays football. For the rest... (full context)

...says that Daddy played a new song last night and she taught Ma to dance. Michael came over since it was Presidents’ Day and Daddy brought home crab legs for a... (full context)

With a huff, Michael slams his bookbag onto the table and sits down. Claudia asks what he’s doing here,... (full context)

Laughing, Claudia tells Michael that he wrote the wrong year in his notebook. He gulps, crumples the page, and... (full context)

Claudia spits her drink out when she hears Michael ask what she’s doing here. Megan says that she brough Claudia, and Claudia is never... (full context)

...Claudia that it’s okay, so Claudia keeps dancing. It feels good and she wonders if Michael is watching. (full context)

...keeps thinking about what happened and asks if Claudia misses her. Claudia sways. Just then, Michael comes up behind her, tells Jacob to back off, and leads Claudia to get some... (full context)

...go, and when Claudia persists, she says she has no choice but to tell her. Michael bursts outside, interrupting the conversation—and when Claudia turns back to April, she’s gone. (full context)

Michael chuckles and asks if Claudia is following April again. Claudia says that April is like... (full context)

Megan’s cellphone rings. Megan answers, grins, and hands the phone to Claudia—it’s Michael, calling to check on Claudia since she wasn’t at church. He says that Ma invited... (full context)

...be forest green if he was a color. He’s calm and can impart “refreshing wisdom.” Michael would be brown, like bark. It’s the color of earth, quiet and supportive. Claudia thinks... (full context)

...tired of her. Claudia decides to give up on Monday. One afternoon at the library, Michael whispers that Claudia seems quiet. Claudia snaps that she’s never loud and works on her... (full context)

Claudia mumbles an apology to Michael and digs for a pen in her bag. Flowers in the Attic falls out, and... (full context)

...she wants to read what Monday read. Ms. Paul insists that info is private, but Michael comes up and says it’d really help Claudia. Ms. Paul huffs, says it’s against policy,... (full context)

Buzzing appears in Claudia’s head, as though the freezer is sitting right next to her. Michael asks Claudia if she remembers anything and Claudia thinks about the upstairs closet. Monday must’ve... (full context)

It’s pouring on Thursday. Claudia and Michael climb out of the car at the Maryland House right off the highway. Claudia says... (full context)

Michael steers Claudia into the min-mart, which opens into the main mall-like building. They decide to... (full context)

Michael laughs and says he’s always wanted to bring a girl to Phillips, though ideally not... (full context)

Michael asks if this is why Claudia wants to find Monday, but Claudia says there’s more.... (full context)

With only a few minutes to go until Tip gets in, Claudia and Michael stand by the windows so they can watch for him. The storm picks up outside... (full context)

Just as Michael leans forward to kiss Claudia, Claudia sees a man who resembles Monday jump out of... (full context)

...cab at the Baltimore train station and asks if they should call their parents, but Michael jokes that he’d rather let their parents kill them in D.C. than let their parents... (full context)

Softly, Michael tells Claudia again that the girl isn’t Monday. They find lots of people in that... (full context)

As soon as Claudia and Michael walk in the front door, Ma embraces Claudia. Claudia insists they have to go to... (full context)

...that Ms. Walker has been homeschooling Claudia for a year, Claudia has been dancing, and Michael has been around since the beginning. Ms. Valente moved back to New York just after... (full context)

...middle name. Claudia stares at April’s head and April’s Aunt Doris in front of her. Michael stands to the side. Once Pastor Duncan is finished, he invites people to speak for... (full context)

...library. She imagines Monday’s ghost sitting there, the place she loved most, reading. Claudia finds Michael’s number already programmed into the phone and calls him. Groggily, he asks her what’s wrong.... (full context)

Michael says he doesn’t know anyone as smart or as brave as Claudia. He recalls how... (full context)

Michael leads Claudia into Ms. Walker’s house, laughing that he’s never skipped school before. When Claudia... (full context)

Michael calls Claudia to him and asks what’s up. She says she remembers her last day... (full context)

...fun. Claudia pours her love for Monday into every step and bows. Ma, Daddy, and Michael cheer from the front row. (full context)

Claudia is in the car with Michael, parked outside of Monday’s house. The house is boarded up now. Michael asks if she’s... (full context)

Michael stops the playback and pulls Claudia into a hug. Claudia realizes she’s been crying. She... (full context)

Michael honks the horn, startling Claudia. Claudia says she needs to go, but then heads back... (full context)

Michael Character Analysis

Michael Quotes in Monday’s Not Coming

Chapter 21. The After Quotes

Chapter 52. The After Quotes

Chapter 57. Later On Quotes

Michael Character Timeline in Monday’s Not Coming