Blogpost 4: Significance of...

       Two significant items in the book that I am currently reading, Ruthless, include a character and an event. The character that I have decided is significant to the story is A, and the event that I have chosen is Hanna's dad's comercial campaign.

        These two items are significant in different ways. First, A is a very significant character throughout not only Ruthless, but also the rest of the Pretty Little Liars series. A contributes meaningfully to the plot, because if A wasn't in the story many events would not occur. For example, without A, the girls would not be receiving threatening and anonymous messages. The main idea of the series is about how Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna are known as the "pretty little liars" because they are always having to lie and put their lives in danger in order to stop A from spreading their secrets and ruining their future. "Why was this happening to her? Doesn't she have enough to worry about without A interfering with her life? Sometimes Spencer wonders how her life would be without A trying to ruin it every chance they got." (Shepard, Ruthless, 67) A is very important to the plot of the story, and even though the girls wish that A did not exist, there would be no story without them.

       Next, the event that Hanna's father is holding for his campaign is also very significant to the book. This event is significant in many ways, because it helps the audience understand the character's motivation, and reveals further understanding of the relationship between characters. Hanna's motivation is revealed through this event, because when A is threatening to post embarrassing pictures of her all over the internet and ruin her father's campaign unless she comes up with ten thousand dollars in the next few days, she is left with no other choice but to steal the money from her father's safe. Hanna shows her motivation in order to stop A from ruining both her and her father's future. This event also reveals further understanding of the relationship between Hanna and her father. Hanna used to be really close with her father until he got re-married and now he has no time for Hanna and seems to love his new stepdaughter, Kate, more. After Hanna steals the money from her dad, she ends up confessing that she took it a few days later. Surprisingly, her father doesn't freak out like Hanna expected, and instead they talk about how they need to spend more time together. "And suddenly, stealing the money didn't feel like such a bad crime." (Shepard, Ruthless, 49) Without this event, the relationship between Hanna and her father might not have been fixed. In conclusion, the event of Hanna's father's campaign has been significant to the story through these two ways.

Shepard, Sara. Ruthless. New York: Alloy Entertainment. 2011. Print.