Imagine living a day repeatedly, knowing that in the end one will die and there is nothing that can change it. This is how Sam Kingston feels in the novel Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Sam was just a regular popular girl at school, and on Cupid Day her whole life changed. She had been popular since her freshman year, and in doing so she changed. She was now a rebel breaking all of the rules, being cruel to her other classmates, and hating her parents, especially her mother. She didn’t realize that everything wasn’t about her until it was too late. After reliving the day seven times she finally realized that she wasn’t supposed to save herself from dying, but that she was supposed to save Juliet; the girl that her friend group bullies, from dying. At the beginning of the novel Sam is oblivious and manipulative; but towards the end of the novel she becomes empathetic. Sam didn’t realize that everything she did had an effect on others, and it wasn’t until she relived the day with all the different …show more content…
She did everything she could, so that her little sister could have a good last memory of her, and that she would be the best person that she could possibly be. Toward the end of the night, Sam knew exactly what she had to do. Juliet was going to walk out on the road and be hit by a truck, and Sam had the time planned out perfectly. She chased after Juilet, and in the end, she was able to push Juilet out of the way and Sam was then hit instead of Juilt. “You saved me. A hand on my cheek, cool and dry. Why did you save me? Words welling up on a tide: No. The opposite. Eyes the color of a dawn sky, a crown of blond hair, so bright and white and blinding I could swear it was a halo.” (Oliver, 671) This was Sam's last everything, her last thought, and the last thing she heard. Sam had empathy for Juliet and was willing to do