The secular angel in contemporary children's literature: David ...

On the contrary, Stephanie’s alienation is born out of the collective and unified attack on her,
resulting in humiliation, open ridicule and psychological abuse. Stephanie’s unusual
appearance and obvious lack of prior socialization is made clear from the very beginning as
she is introduced as “an odd-looking girl, about [Freya’s] age, [who] wore what looked like an
ancient boy’s duffle coat. Below that Freya could just see white little-girl socks reaching
down to her nondescript flats. Her face was small and pinched, her mousy hair unfashionably
long and curly” (McNish, 2007, 21). As if her appearance is not embarrassing enough,
Stephanie first appears in front of the school gates with her mother who treats her like she is a
five-year-old child on her first day of school. Freya’s “heart went out to her” while she was
reminded of herself a few years ago going to school with her own “home-made angel wings”.
“What was this woman thinking of, (…) didn’t she know the rest of the kids would crucify her
daughter if they saw this?” (McNish, 2007, 21). This scene is indicative of two things: first, it
is proof of an unwritten and unofficial social code that exists in the school and which is used
by students to categorize other students, and second, it is the first indication that Stephanie’s
parents lack social understanding and have therefore been unable to advise Stephanie
accordingly. Karna et al argue on peer pressure and bullying that “victims tend to be rejected
by their peers, and this general dislike is another risk factor for victimization” (Karna et al,
2010, 261). Therefore, the reader witnesses two kinds of alienation: one in which the victim
becomes invisible and one where the victim’s presence alone has become enough to guarantee
some kind of an attack, whether it is verbal, psychological or even physical. What is
characteristic about the way in which McNish delves into these issues is the raw reality of
their description and the fact that he does not wish to ‘sugar-coat’ the threat that they pose or
the dangers they create; in fact, he appears to be suggesting that this is somebody’s reality on
a daily basis, and what many children may be dealing with in our society.
198