The Great Unexpected

Naomi is an imaginative and anxious child who is approximately 12 years old when the story takes place. She often worries about the unexpected and fears being found responsible for any bad things that occur in her life or town. These qualities are revealed indirectly, especially through the anecdote regarding the magical donkey of Joe’s story, and directly when Naomi feels she is at fault for the teacher who quits after just three months and relates how common this fear is for her. Naomi also reveals, via direct characterization, that she “didn’t trust people or animals very easily” (103). This lack of trust leads to heightened anxieties, such as a fear that Nula and Joe might send her away, as Nula was sent away as a child. These worries dominate her thoughts until she begins to piece together the connections among the seemingly unrelated individuals in her life. Naomi is the protagonist and narrator, as well as a dynamic character, as she changes from one who can only anticipate unexpected, bad outcomes to one who understands that the unexpected can result in happy events as well as sad ones.