Friday Barnes Spam

Extensive Friday essay!

I know I said I wouldn't write one but I did. It's not as detailed as the Ian one, probably because I'm more passionate abt him and relate more but idk! Before you read know that these are my thoughts and how I envision her! Envision her how you want! This is just what makes sense to me.

Also the song is born to die which i think is very friday-esqe :)

ty! (also i did not spell check or grammar check lmao)

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Subject: Friday Astrella Barnes

The subject of my analysing today is Friday. In this essay I will mainly be going into how and why I portray her the way I do, her wasted potential, and many other topics. I preface this by saying, I am not bashing R.A Spratt in any way (I am) but this is more my take. I also preface this by saying I love Friday, she's adorable do not get me wrong! Friday is a unique character that was not given the justice she deserves, and I hope to give an insight into how, in my mind, I have tried to rectify that and even make sense of the little we know about her complicated (or meant to be complicated) character.

The wasted potential:

Let's unpack this. . .

So, we all know the trope. Prodigy child that is quirky and weird. We've seen it so many times before, but once have you ever thought what if it were different? She's secluded and doesn't want to be seen the same as everyone while also yearning to be the same. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but the way R.A. Spratt writes it just makes her a very one-dimensional character. I could say it's a shame we never get to see the things she likes besides solving mysteries and reading, but I do believe that was her whole character point; to not be like other girls. But wouldn't it be nice to see a female protagonist that doesn't push aside the things that make her feminine? That makes her a girl? Why does she have to be only like this when she can be awkward, smart and frilly and feminine? The lifestyle and path Friday represent is a lonely one, one of solitude that prevents others from coming close and, likewise, prevents her from reaching out. She's so scared of how people will perceive her and of the fact that something stops her from forming the human bonds she craves. It's a unique experience and could've been so much more impactful if written in a way that showed that was deep and not in the way it was that only showed that Friday was "quirky" and "better than other girls because she's different".

Friday could have been a very complicated character. As she is in canon, she is very one-dimensional, and it is easy to see how her brain works. This isn't a bad thing, but it results in an arduous story. It's a repeating cycle that never ends. The story would only change if another character caused it to. I repeat, the story will only change is someone besides the main character changes it. For a main character, it's hard to be entertained at times when it's only her. Sure she can have her spontaneous moments, but never like Ian or Melanie. Ian could carry an entire book by himself if he wanted, and Melanie has those witty comebacks that never fail to make one laugh. Friday on the other hand can come off as stale. Almost all her dialogue is something scientific, we hardly see a personality from her. Much like the Ian thing, we mainly just see her spewing science bullshit and then leaving. The only time we see a genuine emotional outburst is in book 8 before she kisses Ian.

I would've loved to see a strong female protagonist that can also carry a joke, show her emotions, or even just talk about something that wasn't science related for once. While I do understand her being very socially inept and not as introduced to pop-culture, it doesn't mean she wouldn't develop a personality or know how to joke around. She went to primary school, it's a shame that we couldn't see anything develop. Even now in the later books sometimes I forget she went through a traumatising experience recently. It's as though she isn't allowed to feel emotions and is written to not know them, but really from personal experience I can say being a teenage girl is such a unique, complicated, and emotional experience, the fact that she doesn't get to experience it is disheartening. Friday Barnes had the potential to be a relatable character that we see grow but sadly it was not executed well at all.