52 pages • 1 hour read
Raina TelgemeierGuts: A Graphic Novel
Nonfiction | Graphic Memoir | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Key Figures
Raina Telgemeier
Raina is the narrator and protagonist of Guts and the author and illustrator of the book, which is largely a true story drawn from her experiences when she was 10 years old. She is an upper elementary student in a San Francisco Bay area community. She has a sister, Amara, who is five years younger, and a toddler brother, Will. The family, including her mother and father—and her grandmother for six months of the narrative—lives in a small two-bedroom, two-story apartment where Raina shares a bedroom with her siblings.
Much of Raina’s life centers on elementary school and her relationships there. She has several girlfriends, though her interactions with boys in her class are minimal. Her best friend is Jane, with whom she frequently has playdates and sleepovers. Her other close friends are a Black girl named Dina and a white girl named Nicole. Raina’s antagonist is tall, pretty Michelle, a Black girl who constantly teases and mocks Raina.
As the narrative develops, readers recognize that Raina faces two distinct personal problems, each exacerbating the other. She has IBS and a panic disorder. When she has a panic attack, it causes her to become nauseous. When her stomach becomes upset, she has a panic attack. Raina has a phobia called emetophobia, a fear of vomiting. Dealing with these yoked issues becomes the inescapable focus of her life.
Raina’s Mother
Like her father and grandmother, Raina’s mother is never identified by her first name. She is simply called “Mom” throughout. The author gives enough casual information in the narrative for readers to surmise that Mom is a vegetarian who drives a VW microbus. She frequently provides different foods at mealtimes, so everyone around the table can eat their favorite food. Readers may decide that Raina’s mother does not work outside the home.
Her mother is the adult Raina trusts more than any other. When Raina feels ill, becomes upset, or gets confused, she seeks her mother. The author portrays Mom as concerned and supportive. Without complaint or hesitation, Mom takes Raina to her counseling appointment. Mom stays attuned to Raina’s emotional and physical issues without being overly intrusive. Even when Raina’s phobia becomes burdensome to the entire family, Mom never minimizes or judges Raina’s feelings or behavior.
Lauren, the Therapist
As the significance of Raina’s emotional issues becomes apparent, her mother takes her to Lauren, a young woman who is a child therapist. Friendly, empathetic, honest, and challenging, Lauren gradually becomes a source of insight and strength for Raina. One word Lauren uses, beginning from their first session, becomes the impetus for Raina’s emotional progress throughout the narrative: “Try.”
From their first meeting, Lauren tells Raina her office is a safe place where Raina can express herself completely and feel comfortable. Though initially untrusting, Raina eventually perceives Lauren’s office as a safe harbor for respite and reflection. Raina finally feels confident in discussing any topic with Lauren. In her office, she develops the ability to discuss vomiting and even experience the accompanying automatic fear it causes without descending into a full-blown panic attack.
Jane
Raina’s best friend is Jane. She is a classmate who is also in Girl Scouts with Raina. They share playdates and sleepovers. Jane is apparently of Korean descent, so the meals Raina eats at Jane’s house are quite different and challenging for her. Like Raina, Jane has a younger brother who shares a bedroom with her. At the end of their fifth-grade year, Jane’s family will move away from the urban area to the suburbs.
Jane is a central figure, taking part in numerous aspects of Raina’s journey: building a deeper friendship, dealing with the grief of a friend’s departure, adjusting to the perceived betrayal of a friend who acquires a new friend, and struggling with how much truth or information a relationship can bear. Jane, like Lauren, challenges Raina to grow as a person. She loves Raina and grieves that she must move away.
Michelle
The antagonist of the narrative is Michelle. Telgemeier draws her as pretty, tall, aloof, and confident. Michelle frequently surfaces when Raina feels stressed, taunting her. Michelle has a gift for saying things that incite Raina’s anger and anxiety. Readers may feel the injustice Raina perceives when the girls’ fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Abrams, never confronts Michelle’s behavior, instead constantly telling Raina to be kinder to Michelle.
Michelle seems not to have any real friends during most of the narrative. She gets other students to join in when she ridicules hapless victims, though she seems not to have close companions of her own. Readers may wonder if her frequent attacks on Raina and Jane result from Michelle’s jealousy over their friendship. Readers may perceive that Mr. Abrams’s overt sympathy toward Michelle arises from his privileged knowledge that Michelle has an intestinal disorder. When her physical problems come to light, the possibility of unexpected bonding with Raina becomes possible.
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