The Trials and Tribulations of Switfy Appledoe is a novella by Arianna Kralicek, age 12. The story is written from the first-person perspective of Zendaya “Swifty” Appledoe and is divided into many chapters. In the first chapter, we open on Swifty rehearsing for an upcoming advertisement audition in front of her parents, who applaud. Swifty informs readers that she wants to be a famous actress when she gets older.
The narrative is interrupted by the Candyland theme song—it must be an ad break. Swifty knows the words because she auditioned for this role and didn’t get it. Suddenly, she hears a familiar voice in the ad. On TV is a girl in a fairy outfit holding a wand. It is Stella Chichester-Clark, Swifty’s nemesis. Swifty begins to scream. She punches the table and flings her audition papers in the air. Her parents hug her. We learn that our protagonist is very jealous of Stella, who seems to be good at everything.
What makes the characters in this story strong?
Swifty Appledoe is an extremely striking protagonist, and her voice is loud and clear from the start of the story. Part of what makes Swifty so compelling as a protagonist is that the narrative feels steeped in the character’s personality:
It’s Saturday night, and my parents are sitting on our squishy velvet sofa, watching me rehearse for the big advertisement audition coming up in a month-and-a-half’s time.
It’s important that an actress is very prepared because, as they say, the show must go on.
“The show must go on” is a famous theater cliché, and by repeating it here, we get a sense that Swifty is very theatrical in a general sense, and maybe a bit goofy. As the scene continues, we learn more about Swifty’s dreams and temperament.
You see, when I grow older I want to become a famous actress. I want to go to the Oscars and win incredible awards, go to the Met Gala and wear a spontaneous-but-stunning outfit, pose and give daring looks to the press as they photograph me, live in a massive—
I can suddenly hear the familiar sound of the Candyland theme song. Obviously an ad break.
There is so much going on in this passage. First, we get a sense for Swifty’s lofty ambitions. We can tell that this advertising thing isn’t just a hobby for her—she means business. This is part of her plan. We also learn that there are certain values that Swifty holds dear. We learn about these values through the adjectives she put in the passage above: spontaneous, stunning, daring. These are things she thinks it’s important for a person to be.
Finally, we get a clear sense for Swifty and her parents through the scene where she breaks down over the Candyland advertisement.
Then, without thinking, I slam my right hand down onto the coffee table. A sickening crack from the clipboard startles me, but I continue. I swipe at all my audition papers and they soar into the air, fluttering to the carpeted floor.
“Zendaya Appledoe! Stop right there!” my mother gasps in anger.
I stamp, stamp, stamp at the papers, tearing a few pages into shreds. I don’t care what happens to them. My life is over once again.
I slump to the floor. My breathing is ragged and sharp. It feels like I’m sucking in spears.
Strong arms hold me close. I sob into my dad’s shirt. My mum comes over and joins the hug.
A lot becomes clear here very quickly. First, Swifty has an outsized reaction to her jealousy and starts to destroy her audition papers. This tells us that this character is not always very good at managing difficult emotions. We also learn that this is not the first time Swifty has felt the world is going to end. By writing, “My life is over once again,” it’s evident that this is not the first time this has happened. Finally, we learn that Swifty’s parents are more bark than bite. Her mother goes quickly from scolding her in anger to hugging her and comforting her. Perhaps Swifty’s parents enable this sort of attitude and behavior.
But as much as this scene does not cast Swifty in the most mature light, we also learn how serious this is for her. That simile, “It feels like I’m sucking in spears,” is so striking. It’s clear that, dramatically as she may be acting, Swifty’s sorrow and insecurity is very genuine.
Discussion questions:
- How does this chapter set us up for the rest of the story? What is your first impression of Swifty as a character? How about Swifty’s parents? In what ways do you predict these characters may grow over the course of the narrative?
- How does the writer incorporate specific details into the narrative to help bring the characters to life?
- What is your sense of Stella as a character based solely on Swifty’s descriptions in Chapter One? Do you expect your impression of Stella to change as the story progresses? Why or why not?
- Do you think Swifty is going to be a reliable narrator?
The Trials and Tribulations of Swifty Appledoe (Part One)
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
—Oscar Wilde
Chapter 1
“And that’s exactly why you should try Milky’s chocolate ice cream!” I conclude, bowing as my excited audience showers me in a standing ovation.
It’s Saturday night, and my parents are sitting on our squishy velvet sofa, watching me rehearse for the big advertisement audition coming up in a month-and-a-half’s time.
It’s important that an actress is very prepared because, as they say, the show must go on.
The TV is blaring softly behind me, showering me in a spotlight effect and bathing the living room in a cool glow.
If I look down, I can see the glassy surface of the coffee table covered in a sea of audition papers, a lone clipboard floating at the surface.
You see, when I grow older I want to become a famous actress. I want to go to the Oscars and win incredible awards, go to the Met Gala and wear a spontaneous-but-stunning outfit, pose and give daring looks to the press as they photograph me, live in a massive—
I can suddenly hear the familiar sound of the Candyland theme song. Obviously an ad break.
The actors’ voices start moaning sorrowfully from the TV. I know what they’re going to say. I auditioned for this ad but didn’t get in.
“Oh no!” a woman cries. “My cat ate my pet bird!”
“Come on!” an old man wails. “My walking stick snapped!”
“Whaahhhh!” A stereotypically bratty toddler, wearing one of those caps with propellers on, shrieks like a hawk. “My cart broke!”
“Don’t worry,” a familiarly dainty voice serenely assures. “I’ll take you to Candyland, where all of your dreams will come true.”
In fact, this voice is very familiar. I spin around and stare in utter horror at the TV screen.
A young girl around my age is dressed in a poofy, light-pink fairy costume, a sparkly rainbow belt slapped around her waist. The sleeves of the dress are Cinderella-like, and when you look at her feet, they have been slipped into slim silver high heels. Rainbow ombré fairy wings hide under golden locks of silky hair. She clutches a candy cane wand. But the one thing that stands out to me the most is the rosy, pale complexion of none other than Stella Chichester- Clark.
My mouth hangs open like a door on loose hinges as I gape in envy and anger.
The rest of the ad passes by. The woman adopts a candy bird made out of pink marshmallows. The old man is gifted a candy cane walking stick. Mint-flavored. And the bratty young boy is presented with a candy cart with lollipop wheels. I don’t pay much attention otherwise.
Once it has finished, I slowly turn back around to face my parents. They stare at me with sympathetic grimaces.
I can feel jealousy and hate crackling like fire in the center of my torso. Flames shoot through my veins, heating up my body. My head hurts— it feels like a grand piano has fallen from the sky, landed on top of it, and then exploded. My throat tightens. I can’t breathe normally. Something’s rising up in my throat. What is happening to me? Am I a dragon in disguise?
“AAAAAAAAHHHH!” I scream to whatever deity is listening. Maybe the stupid universe can take yet another hint. “AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”
Then, without thinking, I slam my right hand down onto the coffee table. A sickening crack from the clipboard startles me, but I continue. I swipe at all my audition papers and they soar into the air, fluttering to the carpeted floor.
“Zendaya Appledoe! Stop right there!” my mother gasps in anger.
I stamp, stamp, stamp at the papers, tearing a few pages into shreds. I don’t care what happens to them. My life is over once again.
I slump to the floor. My breathing is ragged and sharp. It feels like I’m sucking in spears.
Strong arms hold me close. I sob into my dad’s shirt. My mum comes over and joins the hug.
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” my mother’s voice says.
“Listen, you have so many talents that this Stella doesn’t have,” my dad reassures me.
I don’t bother to correct him. Stella is perfect at everything—from appearance and clothes to grades and sports, singing and dancing, acting and making friends. She’s annoyingly amazing.
I once heard a rumor that she said her first word only a few weeks after she was born. Adding onto that, her first word was “honorificabilitudinitatibus,” a word that appears in one of Shakespeare’s plays. It’s probably true because she also won the Year Eight Spelling Bee at the age of three. I didn’t speak until I was four.
My parents guide me upstairs to bed. A sense of calm has somehow overcome me. It was probably my overdramatic tantrum that did it.
The last thing that I see before I drift off to sleep is Stella dressed in a fairy costume, waving a candy cane wand mockingly at my face.
Click here if you would like to read the rest of Part One.
Ariana Kralicek, 12
Auckland, New Zealand
