Finding Perfect

Six Jacobs, 19, is the deuteragonist of the novella, and her emotional state serves as the story’s central conflict. She is also a first-year college student in Dallas and has dated Daniel since their senior year in high school. When the narrative begins, she is defined by a pervasive sadness that has led to a rift in her relationship with Daniel. Having secretly carried their child and placed him for adoption before they officially became a couple, she is isolated by a trauma she feels unable to share. This highlights the theme of The Invisible Pain of Motherhood. This grief is particularly acute during the holidays, which remind her of the family she feels she has lost. She is a round and dynamic character and the catalyst for Daniel’s emotional growth.

A core aspect of Six’s internal conflict is her struggle with guilt and her judgment of her past choices. She worries that her decision to place her son for adoption was not an act of strength but rather a “scared choice” (18) made to avoid personal hardship. However, Quinn dispels this fear by characterizing Six as “a biological mother who cares enough for [Matteo] that she sacrificed her personal happiness” (57) to let someone else give him the life that she couldn’t. This reinforces to Six that her actions were rooted in selfless love for her child. She recalls telling her newborn, “I’m not doing this because I don’t love you. I’m doing it because I do” (20). The narrative validates her sacrifice as one of immense courage, helping her trade her insecurity for self-compassion before she can heal.

Quinn and Graham Wells are secondary characters who serve as mentor figures and represent the resolution of the novella’s central conflict. As the adoptive parents of Matteo, they hold the key to Six’s healing and Daniel’s emotional growth. They are presented as deeply empathetic and grateful individuals whose own struggles with infertility have given them a unique appreciation for the gift they have received. Graham’s initial phone call with Daniel reveals a cautious man whose primary goal is to protect his wife from further pain, and Quinn’s email shows her emotional intelligence and generosity. She validates Six’s sacrifice, praises her courage, and expresses a profound gratitude that reaffirms the adoption as a beautiful and positive act.

Together, Quinn and Graham embody the theme of Redefining Family Beyond Biological Ties. Despite having a legally closed adoption, they make the conscious choice to open their lives to Daniel and Six. Quinn writes, “[W]e want nothing more than to share those wonderful things with the people who blessed us with him” (56), explicitly rejecting a possessive legal model of parenthood of closed adoption. They are static characters in that their personalities and core values do not change, but they are roundly developed through their demonstrated compassion and their crucial role in helping bring about the story’s “perfect” resolution.

Hannah Wesley, Daniel’s older sister, is a classic mentor and catalyst character. Although she appears in only a few scenes, her influence is critical to the plot’s progression. As a medical student, she is presented as the most mature and rational member of the Wesley family. When she finds Daniel moping, she is perceptive enough to see past his sarcastic exterior and presses him until he reveals the complicated truth about his relationship with Six. It is her direct, no-nonsense advice that provides Daniel with the guidance he desperately needs but is too immature to discover on his own.

Hannah’s key contribution is articulating the novella’s central message about proactive communication. She dismisses Daniel’s passive approach and instructs him to, “Talk to her. Be there for her. Ask her questions” (10). This simple directive becomes the catalyst for Daniel’s transformation and the subsequent healing in his relationship with Six. Furthermore, when Daniel decides to search for the adoptive family, Hannah provides practical support and encouragement, urging him to be “persistent” (26) in his efforts. As a static and relatively flat character, she does not undergo any development herself. Instead, her purpose is to initiate Daniel’s character arc and, by extension, set the entire resolution of the story in motion.