49 pages • 1 hour read
Judy BlumeAre You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1970A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Margaret Ann Simon
Margaret Ann Simon is an 11-year-old girl and the main protagonist of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. At the novel’s beginning, Margaret moves from her apartment in Manhattan to Farbrook, New Jersey, with her mother and father. She has a good relationship with her parents but is exceptionally close to her paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon. Throughout the novel, Margaret must deal with the implications of growing up, going through puberty, and struggling with her self-image and budding religious beliefs.
At the novel’s beginning, summer has ended, and Margaret has returned from summer camp to learn that she will be spending her sixth-grade year in an entirely different school. She quickly befriends some of the girls in her new neighborhood, but right away, Margaret feels the pressure to act more grown-up than she is. When her new friend Nancy tells her to start wearing a bra and keep a record of boys she likes, Margaret obeys, even though she doesn’t feel ready to grow up just yet. Before long, Margaret is overwhelmed with jealousy when the other girls in her friend group advance more quickly than she is when it comes to puberty. She tells God that she is “so jealous” when Nancy gets her period, and although she “hate[s] [her]self for being so jealous” (115), Margaret desperately longs to be normal, and she begs God to “let [her] be like everybody else” (116). Margaret begins to lose track of her own sense of self-worth, and before long, she’s acting out in strange ways to appease Nancy and the rest of her friend group. Margaret’s jealousy turns her into a bit of a bully, and she starts to join in with Nancy and the others and harass Laura Danker. When Margaret realizes what she has done and how mean she has become, she believes that she is “the most horrible person who ever lived and [she] really [doesn’t] deserve anything good to happen to [her]” (138). Margaret can be very hard on herself and holds herself to a high standard of conduct.
One detail that sets Margaret apart from most of her peers is that she does not identify with any religion. Margaret’s mother is Christian, and her father is Jewish, and after a nasty rift with her mother’s family years ago, Margaret’s parents decided not to push their own beliefs on their daughter. However, at 11, Margaret questions the nature of religion and spends much of the book looking for a religion to call her own. Although she does not belong to any organized body of religion, Margaret has cultivated a special relationship with God, and she often prays to God when she is overwhelmed, confused, or lonely. Margaret is fascinated with religion and devotes her sixth-grade year to learning as much as possible about God and the different ways people worship.
Nancy Wheeler
Nancy Wheeler is another 11-year-old girl in Margaret’s neighborhood, and during their sixth-grade year, Nancy becomes one of Margaret’s closest friends. When Margaret and her family move into the neighborhood, Nancy wastes no time introducing herself to Margaret and pulling her into her inner circle of friends, the Four Pre-Teen Sensations, or PTS. Nancy is also a gossip with strong opinions about people she doesn’t like, and her influence starts to invade and take over Margaret’s life.
Nancy is especially fixated on growing up and rushing into more mature activities, like kissing, wearing makeup, and getting boys’ attention. She tells Margaret she has been practicing kissing on her pillow and believes that “it’s important to experiment, so when the time comes you’re all ready” (7). She possesses an enormous amount of makeup and constantly worries over appearance, going so far as to tell Margaret that she’ll look like a baby if she wears socks with her loafers. Nancy also shames Gretchen for her weight, and Margaret admits that “Nancy [has] a great way of making [her] feel like a dope” (36).
When it comes to puberty and body changes, Blume reveals that Nancy is obsessed with the idea of growing breasts, getting her period, and finally being a grown-up. She encourages the other girls to copy her special method for growing their chests, and when the girls are sharing their bra sizes, Nancy takes great pride in having “more” than the others. When Gretchen is the first in the group to get her period, Nancy becomes very jealous and lies about getting her period. Margaret admits that she feels sorry for Nancy because although Margaret wants to get her period, she would never be desperate enough to lie about it. Nancy begs Margaret not to tell anyone because “[she’d] die if the others knew” (124). Nancy cares deeply about what others think of her; at her core, she is very insecure and self-conscious.
Sylvia Simon (“Grandma”)
Margaret’s paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon, is often known as “Grandma” throughout the novel. Grandma and Margaret are close, and although Margaret’s parents worry that Sylvia is “too much of an influence on Margaret” (2), Blume illustrates Grandma’s deep love for her only granddaughter. Despite Grandma’s tendency to be overbearing and abrasive, Grandma showers Margaret with gifts and attention, misses her dearly when Margaret and her parents move away, and tries to spend time with her as much as possible.
Although Sylvia tends to overstep her boundaries around Margaret’s parents, they still allow her to pay for Margaret’s private school in Manhattan and her summer camps in New Hampshire. Grandma knits special sweaters for Margaret with labels that say “MADE EXPRESSLY FOR YOU…BY GRANDMA” (2), and Margaret describes Grandma as being a lot of fun “considering her age” (3). However, Grandma always has something negative to say about Margaret’s parents (and especially Margaret’s mother) and how the Simons are raising “her” Margaret: She always has an underhanded comment ready, and she even tells Margaret to blatantly disregard her mother’s commands. Still, Grandma knows that she must be on her best behavior with Margaret’s parents so she can still see Margaret, and Grandma can be exceptionally charming when she chooses to be. Margaret notices that Grandma “always [has] something nice to say to [Margaret]” (61).
Although Grandma loves Margaret dearly, she, too, tends to push her own religious beliefs on Margaret. Like all the other adults in Margaret’s life, Grandma has her own vision of how Margaret should live her life. At the novel’s beginning, Margaret notes that Grandma always asks about boyfriends; in particular, Grandma wants to know if Margaret likes any Jewish boys. Although Margaret is confused by the question, Grandma cares very deeply about who Margaret decides to get involved with and whether or not there’s a chance that Margaret could join the Jewish faith. When Margaret mentions the possibility of coming to temple with Grandma, Grandma is overjoyed and declares that she “knew [Margaret] [was] a Jewish girl at heart!” (62). Margaret becomes very annoyed and admits, “Sometimes Grandma is almost as bad as everybody else” (162).
Mr. and Mrs. Simon
In the novel, Margaret’s parents, Barbara and Herb, are often called Mom and Dad. Margaret’s parents have been married for 14 years, and Margaret is their only child. At the novel’s beginning, Margaret explains that her parents are from different faiths: Her mother is Christian, and her father is Jewish. Because of their different beliefs, both of Margaret’s parents experienced backlash from their parents when they got married. Her father’s mother, Grandma, wasn’t happy about having a daughter-in-law who wasn’t Jewish. Margaret’s mother’s parents, however, took a far more aggressive approach and “told her they didn’t want a Jewish son-in-law” (39) and would “never accept [Margaret’s] father for [Barbara’s] husband” (39). The Hutchins decided to cut off all contact with their daughter. At the beginning of the novel, Margaret’s mother has not spoken to her parents in 14 years, and Margaret has never met her maternal grandparents. Because of this past drama, Margaret’s parents swore that they would raise their daughter with no religion and let her decide for herself when she was older.
Margaret’s parents are attentive, understanding, and patient. When Margaret returns from summer camp to find her family is moving to another city, she is surprised because she says she is “not usually left out of important family decisions” (1). Margaret’s father is so excited about having a lot of his own and being able to mow it that he goes out and buys a lawnmower without knowing how to operate one. After injuring himself, he is humbled by his inexperience and hires Moose Freed to mow the lawn. Mr. Simon is not prone to emotional outbursts and keeps a level head when things are going wrong, but his past experiences with his in-laws are still a sore spot. When the letter arrives from the Hutchins, Herb is upset, and he points out, “They want to see [Barbara], not [him]! They want to see Margaret!” (139). Although his wife wants a chance to rekindle her relationship with her parents, Herb knows deep down that his in-laws will never accept him, and there will never be a place for him in the Hutchins family.
Because Margaret is a young girl going through puberty, Blume focuses more on her relationship with her mother throughout the novel. Margaret states that her mother is “always telling [her] about when she was a girl” and how “it’s supposed to make [Margaret] feel that [her mother] understands everything” (28). Margaret’s mother cares very much about her daughter’s happiness and development, and she tries to foster a close relationship with her daughter. However, Margaret’s mother is still haunted by the ghosts of her past. She admits that she will never be able to forgive her parents for how they behaved, but when the opportunity arises for them to come to visit and see “how well [she’s] managed for fourteen years without their help” (146), Margaret’s mother can’t resist the temptation. Still, she knows how lucky she is to have such a wonderful, new family, and she tells Margaret that when she looks at her husband and daughter, she realizes that she has “the best family in the world” (146).
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By Judy Blume
