Melkonian 1

Frank Melkonian

Lauren Holt

19 September 2022

Written Analysis for Stella’s Top Ten

The main message of my project is to convey that Stella Sanders, the girl who abandoned

her twin sister and started another life in LA, uses material objects to make herself a new person,

so as to not reveal her true identity and upbringing. Stella left her sister, Desiree, after the two

moved to New Orleans to start a new life, and started a third life without her. She wanted to

forget where she came from because she loved the idea that she could pass for white, and that she

had more accessibility to a better than she thought. She moved with Blake to Los Angeles, where

they started a family.

The ten items I picked out for Stella are examples I found in the book that were either

introduced to her in her new life or always connected to her. For example, math is something that

Stella has loved since she was a child, but even though the reader knew how it was incorporated

in her life in Mallard, anyone unaware of her past will just think that she really loved math,

because it doesn’t reveal anything about her past and most kids learn it.

Every object or idea that is on the list gives a reason connecting to her childhood about

why it is on there. I actually put thought into making sure that every single item had this

connection, and also made sure the connection wouldn’t reveal anything that Stella wouldn’t

want to be revealed. The reason I stressed this point so much was because, if Stella were being

interviewed by the press, I assume that her weaker side would show because of the nerves of

being published, and she would stress the point that she had a tragic childhood rather than doing

what she usually does, which is not talking about it at all. This is because everybody changes
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behavior when they are nervous, and they are less careful about what they say when they’re

trying to be more careful. That’s one reason, but she would also have to think about why she put

each item on the list, which would bring up memories of her childhood. Overall, diving into the

fake persona that Stella crafted for herself was difficult, but I feel like I did a good job bringing it

to life.