Belle Prater’s Boy
In the novel Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White, everyone in Coal Station, Virginia, had a thought Belle Prater. When twelve year old Woodrow comes to live with his grandparents, Gypsy, his twelve year old cousin, takes this as her chance to find out the truth behind it all. Woodrow isn't as forward as Gypsy would like thought. Gypsy is kind of taken back by what seems like Woodrow's acceptance of his mother's disappearance. This might be because she herself could not get over her father's death that happened years ago. But still, Woodrow will not tell her anything about his mother. When he comes out and tells Gypsy he's knew something about the disappearance of his mother, Gypsy starts to really understand there is more than…show more content… She cared about her friends and family. He beautiful long hair had everybody’s attention. Her mother even went as far as to not allow Gypsy to cut it even though it took so much time and work to keep it as radiant as it was. Even though she has everything a kid living in her time period could want, she was also lonely. She wished people could see her for who she was, instead of simply for her lovely hair or her beauty. As the novel goes on you find out the Gypsy is talented. She is good at telling jokes and can play the piano. But because people cannot get over the beautiful glow of her hair, she feels like nobody can see any of her talents. Gypsy finds out that her father dying wish was for her mom to promise to never cut their daughter hair. When Beauty, a nickname giving to Gypsy by her father, found out that he committed suicide, she connects her bad dreams to her father shooting himself in the face and in a blind rage she chops off all of her hair. From that point on the harsh feelings she carried towards her stepfather changed. He understood that she was hurting. He was there to tell her that he saw her for who she truly was and not just someone with a beautiful hair and a pretty