Emily

Emily is the <a href="https://www.supersummary.com/protagonist/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/protagonist/">protagonist</a></a> and <a href="https://www.supersummary.com/point-of-view/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">point-of-view</a> character of The Tail of Emily Windsnap. As a human, Emily is self-conscious of her skinny legs and small body. However, the first time she transforms into a mermaid, she is amazed to find she has a “long, gleaming, purple-and-green tail, waving gracefully as [she] skimmed along in the water” (19). The sudden confidence Emily gains while describing herself as a mermaid supports <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Themes" href="https://www.supersummary.com/the-tail-of-emily-windsnap/themes/#676442">Having Pride in One’s Identity</a> and shows that her mermaid form is her true identity. Emily’s greatest internal conflict is finding out who she is and where she fits in as a child of both the human and merfolk worlds. Her ability to sustain relationships with both her mom and Shona makes Emily a symbol of how the two worlds can be brought together to promote harmony between the species. In addition, Emily joining the two worlds presents a direct threat to Neptune’s power over the merfolk and the laws he has worked so hard to uphold. Emily’s refusal to give into such laws means she is a fighter, and her impassioned speech about love and family in Chapter 15 cuts to the heart of the novel as a story about letting people lead their own lives and not letting old prejudices prevent forward movement.

Shona

Mr. Beeston

Neptune

Genres

Action & Adventure

Values & Ideas

Books on Justice & Injustice

Life & Time

Childhood & Youth

Equality

Relationships

Family

Fathers

Friendship

Juvenile Literature

Emotions & Behavior

Memory

Mothers

Fiction

Mythology

Pride & Shame

School Book List Titles

Liz Kessler

Middle grade

Novel

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

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About The Tail of Emily Windsnap

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The Tail of Emily Windsnap Summary and Study Guide

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Background

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Background

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Chapters 1-4 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 5-8

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Chapters 5-8 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 9-12

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Chapters 9-12 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 13-16

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Chapters 13-16 Summary & Analysis

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Character Analysis

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Character Analysis

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Themes

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Themes

Symbols & Motifs

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Symbols & Motifs

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Important Quotes

The Tail of Emily Windsnap Important Quotes with Page Numbers

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The Tail of Emily Windsnap Essay Topics

The Tail of Emily Windsnap

Character Analysis

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