CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Erin Gruwell
Facts
 23 years old
 First year teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California.
 Teaches a freshman year class.
 Shoulder length brown hair
 Brown eyes
 Always wears a pearl necklace.
Significant Actions
 She took up two jobs outside of school to pay for books for her students. This
shows how caring and determined Erin is.
 She cried in class when she talked to the students about the Holocaust (stemming
from the racist picture of Jamal). This illustrates Erin’s passion for her job.
 Took students of a field trip to the Holocaust Museum. She sincerely wants to
make a difference to these kids an inspire change, even if this means taking up vast
amounts of her own time and money.
 Toast for change – again Erin went to great effort in organising this event. She
made it fun by providing cider, and illustrated a strong belief in the students
through her optimism that everyone would willingly participate.
Personality
 Positive = She never gave up on the students, no matter how hard it got. E.g. when
Eva told her that she hated all white people, including Erin.
 Caring and generous = Took up extra jobs to pay for books, stayed behind after
school with students, often dropped students home.
 Enthusiastic = She was prepared to work at Wilson High despite its reputation.
Really keen to do the job.
 Strong Willed = Went against her fathers wishes and continued to teach the
students of room 203. Despite all the difficulty she faced she never gave up on
them.
 Sophisticated = dressed nicely and spoke well.
 Strict = “You know what this is? This is a f*** you to me and everyone in this
class. I don’t want excuses!...”
 She knows how to get through to the students = She emphasises their similarities
rather than their differences by asking them questions like “Who has ever been in
jail or juvenile hall?”, “Who has ever lost a friend or family member to gang
violence?”, and “Who has ever been shot?” during the line game.
Change
 She changed her teaching methods in order to get through to the class. Rather than
teaching standard texts such as The Odyssey, she realised that she had to use books
that were more relevant to the students to get them interested. This change is most
evident when she makes the connection between the drawing of Jamal and the
Racist cartoons that were produced by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
 She became more focused on her job and neglected her husband. Throughout the
film this change becomes increasingly evident. It begins when Erin is preparing for
Parent Teacher Night, and Scott has to eat his Chinese standing up as Erin is busy
preparing a banner on the kitchen table. Increasingly, Erin spends more and more
time at school and with the students, and when she does come home all she talks
about is school and her students. Eventually Scott leaves Erin as he believes that he
is “living a life (he) never agreed to.”
 Her courage increased as she stood up to Margaret more and more throughout the
film. At the beginning she respected Margaret, and even apologised for not
respecting her authority, but by the end of the film she no longer cared what
Margaret thought, especially when she protested that she should continue teaching
the students of Room 203 in their junior year.
Marcus
Facts
 Student of Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach, California.
 In freshman year.
 African American.
 He lives on the street, after being kicked out of home by his mother for being
involved in a gang.
Significant Actions
 When he was a kid his best friend Clive shot himself with a gun they had found.
Marcus was with him at the time and stayed with him until the police came. The
police jumped to the conclusion that Marcus killed Clive and he was sent to
juvenile hall. This event shaped his attitudes towards the Police and white people
in general. It made him believe that cops would always blame the black guy, and
he hated them for it.
 He stood up in front of the whole class to tell Miep Gies that she was his hero. This
shows that he was no longer afraid of what other people might think of him. He
was not worried about looking tough, as he was able to admit that this old lady was
his hero.
 He gets books on Miep Gies out from the library. This shows that Marcus has
developed a passion for learning. He has come to understand the relevance of Anne
Frank in his life and is beginning to understand the messages about standing up to
intolerance that Erin is trying to get across. He says to Eva about Anne Frank:
“You see to me she ain’t dead at all. How many friends did you know that are dead
now that got killed? How many have you read a book about? Have you seen them
on T.V. or even in the Newspaper? That’s why this story’s dope. She was our age
man. Anne Frank understands our situation, my situation. And that Miep Gies
Lady, the one that helped hide her, I like her. I got all these other books about her
from the library.”
Personality
 Quiet = Sat at the back of the classroom on Erin’s first day and didn’t say anything.
Sat back when Jamal and Andre were fighting and chose not to get involved or say
anything.
 Angry/aggressive = “You don’t know nothing, homegirl… I ain’t explaining shit to
you.” He is angry at Erin for trying to understand the culture that they live in.
“lady stop acting like you’re trying to understand our situation and just do your
little babysitting up there.”
 Lacks motivation to succeed at school = “When I look out in the world, I don’t see
nobody that looks like me with their pockets full, unless they’re rapping a lyric or
dribbling a ball. So what else you got in here for me?”
 Brave = “… we ain’t afraid to die protecting our own. At least when you die for
your own, you die with respect, you die a warrior.”
Change
 His attitude towards Erin changes. “No, that don’t fly Ma.” ‘Ma’ is a sign of
respect.
 He gradually gets out of the gang life and his mother accepts him back into her
home after he apologises.
 He becomes passionate about reading and learning “And that Miep Gies Lady, the
one that helped hide her, I like her. I got all these other books about her from the
library.” He asks if he can be the one to escort Miep Gies in when she comes to
visit.
Eva
Facts
 Student of Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach, California.
 Latino.
 In freshman year.
 Daughter of a highly respected leader of the Latino community.
 Long, dark curly hair.
Significant Actions
 Her Father was arrested when she was a child for a crime that he didn’t commit.
She hates all white people because of this.
 Lied about the shooter in a murder to protect members of her own race. This shows
that she is loyal to her people. “I am my father’s daughter, and when they call me
to testify I will protect my own no matter what.”
 Eventually testified against one of her own people. This shows that not only is she
brave (she could be killed for this action) but she has also come to understand right
from wrong.
Personality
 Racist = “I hate white people on sight.”
 Disrespectful = “You have no idea what you’re doing up there do you? You ever
been a teacher before?” “White people wanting their respect like it’s for free.”
 Angry and emotional = She cries in class when she argues with Erin about respect,
and then again later when she finds out that Anne Frank died: “I hate you and I hate
this book!”
 Brave = Testifies against her own people.
Change
 Eventually comes to respect Erin – even confides in her after the trial.
 Changes her morals and attitude about protecting her own people.
 Becomes more sympathetic and open minded – when she looked at the Asian and
African American families in court she broke down and had to do the right thing.
 She gradually learnt to accept people from other cultures. Towards the end she
made friends with Sindy, the Cambodian girl, whose friend had been shot by Eva’s
friend Paco.