Apothecary By Maile Meloy: Character Analysis

As people, we grow and change throughout our lives, even if we don’t realize it in the moment. Similarly, the characters in the books we read do the same. But how do they do this? How do these characters take charge of their stories and evolve? In Apothecary by Maile Meloy, Janie Scott moves from L.A to London. As she weaves her way through a mysterious plot to battle nuclear warfare, she grows into her new world. Janie goes from being meek and small-minded to being confident and more self-possessed.

The story begins with Janie traversing the Atlantic when she and her family have to move to the dismal city of London, England from their sunny home of Los Angeles. When Janie sees her new home and begins school, she immediately begins to draw lines between her previous life experiences and the world before her. She feels alienated, and this makes her appear meek. “I might as well have carried a giant sign saying I DON’T BELONG.” (Meloy, 26). Janie has a mentality that separates herself from her peers. When Sarah Pennington, a

She’s learned to be more independent, and she’s not so concerned about what people think of her. Janie has become bold. When Janie attempts to stop the bomb, she is kidnapped by Danby and taken hostage. Despite this stressful and terrifying circumstance, Janie keeps calm and lies to protect her friends and the apothecary. ‘“He didn’t make it,” I lied. “He fell into the sea.”’(Meloy, 237). Janie also tries to reason with Danby, hoping to explain to him that his plan isn’t a true solution. ‘“Decipimur specie—rectie! We are deceived by the appearance of right! Remember? You think you’re right, but this is wrong!”’(Meloy, 238). Through the chaos that her life has become throughout the story, Janie has maintained grace under pressure, learned to be confident and believe in herself, and has also found her place in her new