Breathless Blog Post

While reading Breathless by Jessica Warman, I noticed that main character Katie was easily influenced by people. Although it was good that she could learn from others in a positive way, she was also influenced by people who had a negative effect on her.

One character in the book that influenced Katie positively was Mazzie (Madeline), her roommate at Woodsdale Academy. Mazzie had spunk. She was snarky and blunt. But Mazzie didn't have any friends and made no attempt to make some. A tragic accident in her life (the death of her mother) left her feeling abandoned. I inferred that she didn't want to get too attached to someone in case something bad happened to them. When Katie found out what happened to Mazzie's mother, she realized that she could have acted the same way when Will was sent to the psychiatric ward in a hospital. She could have shut herself out from the world. But instead, she tried to put the past behind her and move on. Even though Katie couldn't completely move on, she made friends and tried to be happy at her boarding school.

One character that had a negative influence on Katie was Estella. Estella was Katie's first friend at Woodsdale. Although she took her under her wing, Estella wasn't known for her kindness. She was snobby and believed that the best "type" of people were ones who were rich. Being surrounded by people like this caused Katie to forget some of her morals. She lied to everyone about her schizophrenic brother by telling everyone he was dead. She was afraid that by admitting that her brother was "insane," she would "tarnish" her social image. But she had never been ashamed of her brother, who she greatly admired and respected.

Also, Katie always had a wild side to her. Estella brought it out even more. She exposed to her to alcohol, drugs, and parties. Katie could have stayed away from them, but she decided to make careless decisions. Her lust for swimming was less "powerful." She cared more about her social life than swimming. She lost touch with her inner self.

By the end of the book, Katie learned not to compromise her personality for others. She should always stay true to herself. Sometimes, people are change their personalities in order to fit in with others. A good person would appreciate you for who you are. Always be yourself.