etz

The novel I have studied is Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine. A character I dislike in this story is Callie. The story revolves around five boys and girls that find themselves in an old house on a stormy night. In a hidden tower room they discover an old diary,that of Richard Clayton Harwick, who left behind a journal account of his wicked stepfather. Being robbed of all his precious tokens from home, Richard makes the decision to leave and become a cabin boy on a great ship. His decision has caused anguish in his mother and sister, who have spent a fortune seeking his return. Harwick's story prompts Claudia, Colin, Ralph, Pixie and Robbo to tell their own tales of stepfathers, stepmothers, and stepsiblings, who are in turn eccentric, beloved, unwelcome, and almost always misunderstood.

Callie is Robbo’s sister and they are the stepchildren of Roy. Callie hates Roy because she believes he is the reason her parents had split up. She even has a nickname for him and calls him The Beard. The problems started when Dumpa was born. Roy started to interfere with family stuff and that was when Callie’s anger towards Roy ignited.

Callie is a very stubborn girl and clearly shows it during Dumpa’s birthday when something happened. Roy caught Callie pushing her bike down a very narrow space between the bushes and the car. After warning Callie not to use that way as it may scratch the car, she insisted on going through that way. Roy warned her not to do it numerous times but Callie shows that she is very stubborn by not listening to him. Roy then grabbed her by the wrist and swung her round. Callie is also an emotional girl who cannot control her temper as tears started to spurt out and she retaliated by calling Roy a big, meddling pig.

Moreover, Callie also does not show respect towards elders. Although Roy is not her real father, she should still show some respect towards him as he is her stepfather and her elder. She often does imitations of Roy which is rude and disrespectful.

Not only that, she is a selfish girl and we can see that throughout the story and mainly towards the end. Callie has always wanted the best for herself and does not care for others such as Dumpa and Roy. She desperately wants Hope to have a fight with Roy in order for Hope to get back in touch with their dad but does not care about Dumpa and how he has to cope with this big change in life. She also decides to leave her mum, Robbo, Dumpa and Roy to stay with her father because of her hatred towards Roy. Callie does not care about how her family must feel about this decision and although it must be hard for her to grow up in a broken family, it is equally as hard for Roy to suddenly have three kids in a new marriage. This clearly shows Callie’s selfishness and is unwilling to cope with her new life.

In conclusion, the character that I dislike in this novel, Callie, is a stubborn, selfish, emotional and hot-headed girl. Everyday people undergo problems in life and overcoming these obstacles is a part of life and makes us who we are today. Instead of being resilient and battling through with her problems, Callie has decided to opt out of this hardship instead of fighting through it and I am disappointed to see her do so.