Catherine Character Analysis in Out of My Mind

A college student who is Melody’s personal aide or “mobility assistant.” She helps Melody move around the school, eat lunch, go to the bathroom, and participate in class. She has a quirky sense of style and good sense of humor, and cares deeply about Melody, sometimes defending her when other students don’t believe in her abilities.

Catherine Quotes in Out of My Mind

The Out of My Mind quotes below are all either spoken by Catherine or refer to Catherine. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Simon & Schuster edition of Out of My Mind published in 2012.

Catherine jumped out of her chair and stormed over to where Claire and Molly were sitting, her new black leather boots clicking sharply on the tiled classroom floor. “I did not help her! Did it ever occur to you that she might have some smarts of her own?”
“She can’t even sit up by herself!” Claire replied, her voice petulant.
“What your body looks like has nothing to do with how well your brain works! You ought to know that by looking in a mirror!”

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 152

Explanation and Analysis:

Catherine Character Timeline in Out of My Mind

The timeline below shows where the character Catherine appears in Out of My Mind. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...will function as a personal aide. Melody’s aide arrives the next day. Her name is Catherine and they immediately start talking and joking. Melody wants to make fun of Catherine’s bright... (full context)

Catherine makes it so Melody can take tests. During spelling tests Melody points to letters and... (full context)

Language, Communication, and Identity Theme Icon

...on the test, getting an 85% even though Mr. Dimming suspiciously checks to see if Catherine is helping her. Rose, who is also in the class, is disappointed to get a... (full context)

...like. It would have big keys and would connect to her wheelchair. She signals to Catherine that she wants a computer like Rose has, and Catherine understands that Melody doesn’t want... (full context)

...he parents his children. She’s especially interested in seeing how he talks and does math. Catherine promises to investigate a computer for Melody. (full context)

As Christmas approaches, Catherine and Melody research adapted computers and talking keyboards. Together they find one that allows people... (full context)

...not something embarrassing her body did without her permission. Melody is able to joke with Catherine about fashion, and later in language arts she greets her class verbally. (full context)

Catherine tries to comfort Melody, suggesting she study extra hard to get onto the Whiz Kids... (full context)

Melody goes home upset at being underestimated once again. Catherine calls Mrs. V to explain what a bad day Melody has had, and Mrs. V... (full context)

The next day Melody studies for the Whiz Kids test with Catherine. Melody admits she’s nervous, but Catherine assures her that she can do it. Melody skips... (full context)

...week, everyone in Melody’s life helps her study for the Whiz Kids test. At school, Catherine helps her, and at home Mrs. V, her mother, and her father quiz her. (full context)

...loses control of her body, and has a tornado explosion in the middle of class. Catherine has to wheel her out, and Melody is proud of making the team but embarrassed... (full context)

After school, Melody’s mom drives her to the studio where the competition will be filmed. Catherine joins her and together they make sure Melody will be accommodated. The stage manager, Paul,... (full context)

Melody is disheartened, and when she gets back to H-5 she tells Catherine she feels like her teammates don’t even want her on the team. Melody thinks her... (full context)

...she’s set to leave, she buys a stylish new outfit and thank you cards for Catherine and Mrs. V for helping her prepare. Melody can hardly sleep. She wonders if Rose... (full context)

...Melody’s mom begs her to stay at home, but Melody refuses. She wants to see Catherine and thinks that maybe she’ll help make Melody feel better. (full context)

...rain, and she gets more and more frustrated. When Melody points out that she forgot Catherine’s thank you card, and her mom angrily goes back to the house to get Melody’s... (full context)