Lauren is a driven young woman who isn’t afraid to face the truth. She realizes that her world is about to fall apart and smartly prepares for a disaster. But when she tries to share her opinions with a friend, she finds a harsh understanding that she is different from the other people in her community. Lauren is an outsider but not because she a woman and African American. She is somewhat of a religious prophet along with her writing and discouraged thinking about the future. But because she is an outsider, she often sees things for what they really are. Lauren is very much a realist; when she finds out her brother is dead she doesn’t cry and simply faces the truth. Similarly, she doesn’t ignore the impending doom that lays outside her neighborhood’s walls. …show more content…
Lauren’s hyperempathy helps shape her character because she feels more compelled to help people when they are hurt due to the fact that their pain literally is her pain too. This is very important because when Lauren ventures outside of her walled neighborhood, she sees people suffering and feels their pain. This makes her less shielded than the other children inside the wall and makes the quickly approaching downfall of her neighborhood seem all the more real. Another vital characteristic Lauren possesses is her perseverance and stubbornness. Lauren is constantly told that she needs to stop worrying and talking about an upcoming disaster in her neighborhood. Even though no one listens to her because of her age, Lauren continues to prepare for the future and write ideas for her new