Before I Fall, Middle Chapters, 3-4

[TatyyGirl]

I just want to say, this book is SUCH a pageturner. I finished it this morning. As for the middle chapters, the other characters Sam interacts with and her reactions to them creates an entirely new perspective of who Sam is as a person. Chapters 3-4 are the beginnings of Sam's transformation as a person, yet also feature big mistakes on her part.

In all honesty, despite some horrible lines from Sam's real group of friends, I would prefer their friendship as it reminds me a lot of the friends I have. No, my friends are cruel to other people, however, they are ALWAYS there for me and know how to make me laugh.

Also, Sam's 'risk-it-all' behavior is fits how someone would react after dealing with the same day 4 times, however, it's refreshing to see how she progresses and grows out of that 'nothing matters' attitude.

[nicole21WA]

As much as I would like to think I'd try to live a better life if my final day kept repeating, I think I would have a reaction just like Sam's.  If there are apparently no consequences to your actions (such as being grounded for spending far too much on the credit card you stole from your mom) because the day is going to happen again and again, then why not push the limits at least once?  The other thought with this is that outrageous behavior may be a way to get the day to stop repeating.  I can't imagine having to relive such an awful day for eternity.  I think I'd try anything to make it end.

[thewanderingjew]

It is an interesting question you bring up. I also wondered why Juliette died in that chapter and thought does she really die, as well as Sam? Then I thought maybe she died in place of Sam but in chapter 4, Sam is still reliving 2/12. Then I wondered if somehow Sam is going to be able to prevent Juliette's suicide in another chapter and therefore redeem herself. Then I also wondered if Sam was going to be able to prevent her own death too. I just keep on wondering and can't wait to read on.

jb70 wrote:

twj edited.... In chapter 3 she doesn't die but Juilette does.  Did Juliette die in all of the endings and we just didn't find out becaue Sam had already died.  If she didn't die why does she still have to relive the day, what does she need to fix still.  Does someone have to die or is there a way to fix it all?...

edited by twj

[tracyjacobs007]

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior? Sam has become a completely different person now.  She doesn't care about anything because she knows that tomorrow will be the same thing and no one will remember but her.  She has the I don't care attitude and it ends up hurting people in the end.  That is not how I would want my last day to be like.  She's being destructive to herself and to others and has fun with it.  I was shocked by her behavior.  She wasn't the nicest person to begin with, my she did have some standards.

Are any of the other characters changing as Sam changes in these chapters? Do Ally, Elody, Lindsay or any of the school kids Sam has always ignored seem seem more genuine or different in response to Sam's new (sometimes bizarre) behavior? I think that Sam is starting to see what kind of person that Lindsay is.  She also notices how Ally and Elody can't really think for themselves without Lindsay's say.  Sam notices other people differently now that she never paid attention to before.  Some people she's never talked to are shocked that she was talking to them.  Whereas before she would ignore them or be mean to them. 

Is Sam learning anything at all as we go through each of these February 12ths, or is she just floundering in new and more awful directions with every attempt to do something different? Is Sam's basic nature changing?  Are there ways that she is either building character (an old fashioned phrase!) or revealing her true self? Which, if any of these, seems true for you in these chapters? Even though she has been going in the wrong direction doing the wrong things I think she is changing slowly for the better.  She is standing up for herself more and starting to think on her own.

[Facepalm]

Yelling at lindsay, making out with her math teacher, going to the bathroom at lunch, shopping with her mom's credit card, trying to sleep with rob. I'm not shocked by her behavior, honestly. It seems logical to stop caring after a certain point and just do whatever you feel like. That doesn't justify her actions, but I can see how she could end up being there. These actions are definitely more questionable than her regular actions. Her normal behavior is typical for a teenager, and the way she was putting others down would always happen, whether it was from her or someone else. These behaviors had potential to deeply damge her future or hurt people even more.

I don't think they are. Her friends are still bitchy and mean, and the other kids still just let Sam do whatever they want, almost like they worship her.

Right now, sam isn't changing. She keeps making new decisions that are equally bad or worse than the previous ones. I don't think she has started building character in these chapters, but I assume she will start soon.

I don't really feel deeply connected to any of them, but they all seem nice enough. The "pugs" appear to just be hanging out with her for popularity points, though.

[luna12TK]

I have to say I wan't really shocked or appaled by Sam's actions the day she did what ever she wanted.  I think it was a pretty natural reaction when you know you're going to die at the end of the day and relive the day over again.  Who wouldn't want to skip classes and go on a major shopping spree with no worries!  She knew the day would start over fresh again and no one (other than her) would even know what had happened. 

I think one character that changed a little was Kate.  I think the time they spent in the bathroom together helped Kate (and even Sam) discover a little more about themselves. 

Eventhough it seems like Sam is just floundering her way through I really think she is learning a little more each day.  As she repeats each day she is shown different ways her actions and interactions with others effect different people.  By the end of each day she has gotten to see a glimpse of who different people really are that she has always ignored. 

How do I like the other kids Sam has hung out with?,.....I think Tara and her Pugs are just the level down from Lindsay, Elody, Ally, and Sam.  They are just waiting in the wings for something to happen so they could step up to "most popular."  I liked Kate, I think she is a very misunderstood girl.  I can only imagine how if feels for her to go to a school full of "rich kids" and be thought of as white trash.  She seems to be someone who really has a deeper side when you get to know her. 

[ambika22]

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior?

Her behaviour changed drastically on these chapters, its like she doesnt mind anymore about the consecuences since every day is going to be the same. I didnt really like the part with the teacher, i think he should have controlled himself a little more.

Are any of the other characters changing as Sam changes in these chapters? Do Ally, Elody, Lindsay or any of the school kids Sam has always ignored seem seem more genuine or different in response to Sam's new (sometimes bizarre) behavior?

I think that people that didnt look at Sam or knew she existed start noticing her. I think its good since now she is really starting to change and turning into a better person.

How do you like the other kids Sam hangs out with in these chapters?

I liked Katie and the new friendship they have. Since Katie was always ignored and hated its good that she gets to talk to her and understand her better.

[KateBrianIsAwe…]

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior?

She tries to stay home sick and gets her friends to have a movie night. The effect does nothing really and they day starts back over in the morning. I'm not shocked by Sam's "nothing matters" attitude. Her behavior in this chapter ranks equally with her before behavior= BAD.

Are any of the other characters changing as Sam changes in these chapters? Do Ally, Elody, Lindsay or any of the school kids Sam has always ignored seem seem more genuine or different in response to Sam's new (sometimes bizarre) behavior?

None of the characters are changing just our view of them is. Because we get to know them and their background, we understand why they are the way they are. In this chapter more things come to light.

Is Sam learning anything at all as we go through each of these February 12ths, or is she just floundering in new and more awful directions with every attempt to do something different? Is Sam's basic nature changing?  Are there ways that she is either building character (an old fashioned phrase!) or revealing her true self? Which, if any of these, seems true for you in these chapters?

I think she is trying to understand her situation. Sam is slowly changing and seeing what her life means. She is learning from her mistakes. As for revealing someone's true self that would have to go for Sam's peers.

How do you like the other kids Sam hangs out with in these chapters?

The girls that Sam hangs out with in these chapters are the same as her orginal friends. They are naive.

[mom2busyboys]

This was such a good book.  I am not sure if I was supposed to "read ahead" but how could I not.  I get so caught up in the story!  As an author this had to be such a fun book to write, because it was like taking the same plot and making small and large changes as you go.

Anyway, I think that having a day to let it all hang out would be hard to resist if you were living the same day over and over again, I can think of many things I would want to do it I knew there were not consequences.  I don't think it was a big departure of Sam's character to do such a thing because she was simply trying to figure out what was happening to her.  And I loved that she told off Lindsay, I wanted to do that the whole book!

I still find it hard to believe that by the time this group of kids are seniors they would still be reacting that way to Sam and her friends, like looking at the min awe for talking to them (like the swimmer that was thinking Sam might go to the meet).  I just always think that by senior year most people have gotten over the hero worship of popular kids.  Maybe that is just my experience from a while ago...

[RS18]

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior? I'm not shocked by this attitude because it must be very disheartening for her. She tried to correct her wrong-doings in her first repeated day, but that didn't change anything and she woke up to the same day again. She's lost and doesn't know what she needs to do to stop reliving Friday over and over again. And she doesn't even know if she's dead or not. Is she reliving these days to correct something and then move on to death or will she still be living and move on to Saturday? I thought it was a fun chapter for the author to experiment with a totally different Sam than her actual personality. Sam got to have a carefree, no consequences day and did a lot of crazy and shocking things. I can't believe her teacher did all of that with her...that's so out of line. I know these sorts of things are always in high school stories in movies, tv, and books, but teachers hooking up with students definitely didn't happen at my school when I was there. Is Sam learning anything at all as we go through each of these February 12ths, or is she just floundering in new and more awful directions with every attempt to do something different? Is Sam's basic nature changing?  Are there ways that she is either building character (an old fashioned phrase!) or revealing her true self? Which, if any of these, seems true for you in these chapters? I think that her nature is changing. She's growing up and realizing what is truly important in life and the kind of person she truly is.

[TamCG]

I definitely think some of us would fall under the "nothing matters" attitude if we were in the same bubble of insanity.  We have to remember that with Sam being a teenage girl her "nothing matters" attitude falls in line with smoking pot and flashing strangers - lol - that's her version of bad.  Now we also have to keep in mind that her smoking pot episode led her down what I feel was an important path.  Getting to know Katie and literally "switching shoes" was another important part of the character building process.

As the chapters go on I definitely start to feel that the girls are better friends to eachother then I thought in the beginning.  That gives me some type of hope for the future February 12ths..

The other kids just seem to fall under the same umbrella except for Kent - he was the only one that remembered his own umbrella

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Being one of the kids on the fringes of the popular crowd in high school I could identify with Tara and the other students trying to get to the top of the social ladder.  Popularity is a ruthless game and one I bowed out of early on (I was on the dance team, so popular by association, but I had more fun with the band geeks at a music contest than with the cheers and jocks at a party; I play the oboe).  The game asks you to trade on your principles; to be with the in crowd would you be willing to give in and drink to excess, do drugs, have sex?  Are you willing to be cruel all to be "popular"?  Sam has spent junior high and high school playing the game; she does drink, she's giving in to the social pressure to be sexually active, and she has followed Lindsay's lead by being cruel to Juliet. 

I think Sam's "Bad Girl" day is really a day devoted to seeing what it's like to be Lindsay - the Lindsay who didn't care when Ally's mom came in to tell the girls Juliet had committed suicide, the Lindsay who used to be Juliet's best friend.  I also think Day 4 is important because it allows Sam to vent her anger; anger at Lindsay, at Rob, at having to repeat the day, and having to, once again, have a terrible nightmare and wake up to realise that not only are you still dead (concievably) but someone killed herself because you helped make her life a living hell.  Sam has to get past that anger in order to really figure out what's going on and what changes she has to make.

One of the things I found very interesting was that Sam's "Bad Girl" day highlights the role of social hierarchies.  By being more adventurous, more outspoken, more sexually provocative than Lindsay, Sam initiates a power struggle in her group causing Lindsay to push her away.  Lindsay seems is the group leader and doesn't cede power easily.  Tara's group wants desperately to move up the social ladder and Sam's behavior as "leader" by recklessly shopping, spending money, and flashing the boys causes the girls to admire her.  Not admire her in a good way because the Pugs take the opportunity to be cruel to the saleslady...like Lindsay, Elody, Ally, and Sam would. 

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Rachel-K wrote:

The Do Over Day

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior?

Are any of the other characters changing as Sam changes in these chapters? Do Ally, Elody, Lindsay or any of the school kids Sam has always ignored seem seem more genuine or different in response to Sam's new (sometimes bizarre) behavior?

Is Sam learning anything at all as we go through each of these February 12ths, or is she just floundering in new and more awful directions with every attempt to do something different? Is Sam's basic nature changing?  Are there ways that she is either building character (an old fashioned phrase!) or revealing her true self? Which, if any of these, seems true for you in these chapters?

How do you like the other kids Sam hangs out with in these chapters?

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[Vermontcozy]

Sam"s behavior is just a sampling of what could've been,if she wasn't held accountable by her"clique'.She is risking everything she thought was important,she is now really being Sam.Her encounters with the other people that she wouldn't dare speak too,hang out with,is part of her again being true to herself.Her not caring attitude is not as risky as being with the friends that she now questions,they don't know her,Lindsay is too wrapped up in herself,Elody is so insecure,she allows Lindsay to treat her badly,and doesn't even see it..If there is one person that might understand it would be Ally..,for now.Sam is filling in the missing parts of her life,What if?Her character building is apparent..She has allowed other's  to stifle her,now its about what she wants to experience,its freeing her.

[Lizzy96]

          i think that as Sam changes in these chapters, it seems like she thinks other people are changing too, but really just her perspective of them is changing.

          it seems that as i read through the februrary 12ths, she is changing a lot, and she dosent even realize it. she is learning to treasure every relationship she has because you never know when they may dissapear. she seems to be growing a lot closer to her family, especially her little sister. i think that she is just now realizing that her little sister is growing up and she hasnt even had a chance to be a big sister to her.

[bootzie_bday]

Sam's stunts are not what I would expect of her to do, but I realize she's right when she does them. She's going to die today (just not on today, this day but today in general) --sometime eventually. Sam's just being a rebel and I think it's the best way to help her know that she is really reliving this day over and over, because anything she does is whatever, because she thinks it won't matter in the end.

I also think that Sam is the only person drastically changing due to this repeated day. Her other friends and family might think it's a stage Sam's going through, even though it's not.

I believe Sam is finding her true self, and her friends and family will have to see Sam find her true identity on her last day. It will probably take a couple times though (days repeated) to find Sam's real self.

[-Cia-]

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior?

I have to say that I was a bit shocked by Sam's new attitude. I think that she isn't really changing for the better and that she is still just as bad as she was, if not worse.

Is Sam learning anything at all as we go through each of these February 12ths, or is she just floundering in new and more awful directions with every attempt to do something different? Is Sam's basic nature changing?  Are there ways that she is either building character (an old fashioned phrase!) or revealing her true self? Which, if any of these, seems true for you in these chapters?

At first I thought that Sam was learning something as she kept re-living February 12ths, but now she has just got an even worse attitude about things. I thought she would try and attempt to make the right decisions to make things better but now she's making even worse decisions. I used to think that there was a good person in Sam, but now I'm beginning to think that there isn't and that what we see is her true self.

[stopper19]

I wasn't very shocked by Sam's "nothing matters" attitude because she was practically in shock and she was not thinking straight. She just lost her best friends, she is reliving the same day over and over, and she knew that she was just going to die again. This was just her way of saying that she is confused and does not know what is going on and how to stop it. Instead of acting rationally she decided to go all out

bad because it didn't matter in the long run because she was just going to have to relive this day again.

I don't think that her "risk it all behavior" was more questionable than her "normal" behavior because they are both part of an act. Both of the ways that she chooses to liver her life are not who she really is. Her normal attitude is trying to fit in and act the way that she thinks she should act not the way that she really is. Her risk it all behavior was the same as her normal behavior because she was just doing these things to get attention. Both of these behaviors are just acts that Sam is playing.

[Vermontcozy]

Good point about "Not being able to be a Big  Sister"..that must weigh on her as well..I am going on to chapter 5..Another big change ..another life...Vtc..

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Lizzy96 wrote:

          i think that as Sam changes in these chapters, it seems like she thinks other people are changing too, but really just her perspective of them is changing.

          it seems that as i read through the februrary 12ths, she is changing a lot, and she dosent even realize it. she is learning to treasure every relationship she has because you never know when they may dissapear. she seems to be growing a lot closer to her family, especially her little sister. i think that she is just now realizing that her little sister is growing up and she hasnt even had a chance to be a big sister to her.

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[pen21]

Very good points. You said "I don't think that her "risk it all behavior" was more questionable than her "normal" behavior because they are both part of an act." That is an excellent description of what is happening.

pen21

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stopper19 wrote:

I wasn't very shocked by Sam's "nothing matters" attitude because she was practically in shock and she was not thinking straight. She just lost her best friends, she is reliving the same day over and over, and she knew that she was just going to die again. This was just her way of saying that she is confused and does not know what is going on and how to stop it. Instead of acting rationally she decided to go all out

bad because it didn't matter in the long run because she was just going to have to relive this day again.

I don't think that her "risk it all behavior" was more questionable than her "normal" behavior because they are both part of an act. Both of the ways that she chooses to liver her life are not who she really is. Her normal attitude is trying to fit in and act the way that she thinks she should act not the way that she really is. Her risk it all behavior was the same as her normal behavior because she was just doing these things to get attention. Both of these behaviors are just acts that Sam is playing.

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[Benz1966]

The Do Over Day

What are Sam's new stunts to change the outcome of her day, and what effect do her actions have? Are you shocked by her "nothing matters" attitude? Do you think this new risk-it-all behavior is more questionable than Sam's "normal" behavior?  I think at this point in the story, my actions would have been remarkably similar to Sam's.  I mean, if I were living the same day over repeatedly, I'd want to know "what if" as well.  What if you changed something little.. or did something big?  How would that affect things?  So was I shocked? Not really.  I was half-hoping the next day she'd have to wake up and learn the consequences of her actions, but.. I think it was necessary for her to have at least one of these types of days.

Are any of the other characters changing as Sam changes in these chapters? Do Ally, Elody, Lindsay or any of the school kids Sam has always ignored seem seem more genuine or different in response to Sam's new (sometimes bizarre) behavior? I think she throws them for a loop.  Teenagers have enough of a self-confidence issue (heck, even adults do) that for something to be out of the norm, especially when it involves a close friend, it'll reveal cracks in the most polished surface.  Ally, Elody and Lindsay became more transparent, more likeable and less like snotty brats.  Kent though, he really starts to shine in these chapters.

Is Sam learning anything at all as we go through each of these February 12ths, or is she just floundering in new and more awful directions with every attempt to do something different? Is Sam's basic nature changing?  Are there ways that she is either building character (an old fashioned phrase!) or revealing her true self? Which, if any of these, seems true for you in these chapters?  When I first read through it I really was wondering if she was learning anything, but now.. reviewing the chapters again I can see the subtle changes in her behavior.  She's fighting, testing things out, trying to figure out what is causing this.