Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

Jennifer Chan is a Chinese American girl who moves to Norwell, Florida, with her mother, Rebecca, after her father’s death. She becomes the target of bullying and social exclusion in the Christian school she attends in the small town. Jennifer represents nonconformity, curiosity, and optimism. When Mal first meets her, Jennifer arrives “pounding down the stairs [...], her hair slipping out of a lopsided ponytail” (19). Jennifer is energetic and uninhibited, and her tousled hair symbolizes her carefree attitude. Jennifer knows that some people might think she’s a “walnut” for believing in aliens, but she doesn’t let other people’s opinions deter her. For her, a belief in extraterrestrial intelligence represents an optimism for humanity and a world where people are not alone. Her hobby also helps her cope with her father’s death, as the two bonded over researching the cosmos. Jennifer functions as a foil to Mal, and she is an uncomfortable reflection that heightens Mal’s self-doubts and lack of individuality. Mal even remarks how the Chans’ home “was a mirror version of [her] own [...] except everything was backward” (20). Mal thinks that Jennifer’s uniqueness will only make her an object of her classmates’ derision.

Jennifer also helps Mal become more aware of her ethnic identity. Norwell, which Mal dubs “Nowhereville,” is a small town with few Asians in the community, and when the Chans move in, Mal is quick to notice how they don’t fit in for a variety of reasons. When Mal sees Mrs. Chan for the first time, she considers how “everything about her screamed different—she was so…not-Nowhere” (17). From Mrs. Chan’s youth and bright make-up to her patterned dress, Mal scrutinizes her appearance and quickly concludes that she doesn’t conform to the town’s expectations. Mal describes Jennifer as “basically a younger, rounder version of her mother” (19). Jennifer also comments about her impressions of Norwell when she remarks, “I just got this vibe at first, like this whole town was different from me” (38). Jennifer’s difference makes her a target of teasing and social exclusion, and her character illustrates how Mal’s pressure to socially conform is a product of the town’s insularity. When Mal sees how Jennifer is subjected to racist microaggressions and stereotypes, she begins to think more critically about race and her own ethnic identity.

Reagan is Mal’s best friend and one of the girls who bullies Jennifer. Mal often describes Reagan as having “Shark Eyes” to signify when she’s in a malevolent mood. Reagan is a complex character who represents a mixture of hostility and vulnerability. Mal often detects fear behind her aggressive expression. The novel introduces Reagan at the school’s Christmas concert, where she pretends to fall asleep and lets out a fake yawn, which shows her self-interest and rudeness. Mal admits that Reagan can be “a bit dramatic” (1), and the novel gradually reveals that behind Reagan’s “queen bee” exterior as the leader of their clique is a young girl who is hurting and scared. 

Reagan represents the way people project their insecurities onto others and scapegoat them. When she calls Jennifer “pathetic” and falsely accuses her of making up lies because she “can’t handle reality” (174), Mal notices that Reagan is describing her own behavior. Reagan struggles to cope with her mother’s abandonment and her father’s neglect and often spends most of her home life alone. She instigates much of the taunting and bullying against Jennifer and deals with her own pain by hurting others. Reagan is kind to Mal but cruel to others, and Mal struggles to differentiate whether that makes her a good or bad person. Mal’s friend Kath says that having a difficult personal life doesn’t excuse one from being mean; however, Mal isn’t sure if this is true. While Mal is grateful that Reagan genuinely cares for Mal’s well-being, she also realizes that Reagan doesn’t share her values, and she ends their friendship with affection and sadness. At the end of the novel, Reagan shows up to help Mal find Jennifer, but she refuses to acknowledge her faults or face Jennifer to apologize. In relation to Keller’s Author’s Note at the end of the novel, Reagan is a stand-in for her former bullies who either forgot they bullied her or refused to remember them.

Ingrid Stone is Mal’s “fearless” classmate who is “a laser-beam kind of smart” (63). When she was younger, her curiosity and elaborate science experiments often led her to trouble. She has a habit of tugging on the cross around her neck when she is deep in thought and often wears earplugs to block out distractions and help her concentrate on her scientific research. She is a contrast to Mal, who always has her ears open to what other people say and how people view her. Ingrid’s ability to zone in and focus thoroughly on a topic makes her an ally for Mal’s theories about aliens. She is methodical and a problem solver, and she inspires Mal to be more critical of her behavior and to consider consequences. 

Ingrid also represents tenacity and resilience. Because of her intellectual intensity, she is unpopular at school and was a target of Pete and his friends’ bullying. Mal thinks the bullying has dampened Ingrid’s spirits and made her cynical. Ingrid’s experiences have made her more guarded and critical of humanity’s goodness, and she wonders if “humans could ever evolve to be nice to one another” (99). However, Ingrid is also strongminded and not afraid of intervening when she witnesses wrongdoing. She confronts Pete for bullying her and for making sexist and hypocritical remarks about girls being bullies. She also expresses her disappointment in Mal for not defending her against Pete, and she chastises her for bullying Jennifer. Ingrid is someone who speaks her mind and shows self-awareness.

Kath Abrams is Ingrid’s protective best friend and represents empathy and optimism. Like Ingrid, she is intelligent and studious, and Mal describes her “brand of smart [as] more zoomed out” (63). Kath is talented in many disciplines and is the first-chair violinist and president of the Audio Tech Club. As a Black and Jewish student in a predominantly white, Christian school, Kath faces microaggressions and understands what it’s like to have people judge her based on stereotypes. She plays an essential role in prompting Mal to think about racism and her own ethnic identity. Kath identifies with Jennifer’s optimism in extraterrestrial intelligence and believes that people can improve because it’s too lonely to think about a world incapable of progress. Kath differs from Ingrid in that she is more willing to offer forgiveness, but the two friends share the same qualities of introspection and honesty and admit that they also played a role in hurting Jennifer.