The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Mother, also known by her first name, “Claire”, at various points in the novel, is Jenna’s mother. Mother’s strongest and most defining personality trait is her “infinite control” (49) and her desire to assert that control over others. Jenna admits that “She frightens me with her control and sureness” (48). Mother is also fearful, worrying that Jenna will “get lost” (18) or encounter danger if she steps outside. She reacts with explosive anger when Jenna wanders off and Jenna sees that “Mother’s lifeblood is flowing out of her” (49) when she finally agrees to let Jenna go to school.

She loves Jenna deeply, as Jenna sees in one of the home movies that Claire herself has recorded: “...the camera...glides up the length of [old Jenna’s] body, like every inch is being adored...caressing. Watching” (60). Mother defers to Father in medical matters not because she is the “deferring type” (156), but because “she only wanted her daughter back. Would pay any price for it” (156). She adores Jenna and her artificial packaging so deeply that even in a fit of anger, she can’t bear to hit Jenna, “She cannot harm one cell on her treasured Jenna’s face” (129).

Jenna finds Mother’s brand of love suffocating, in particular Mother’s ability to make everything about her: “It is like she owns every shortcoming I have. Maybe she just plain owns me” (64). Mother is manipulative and uses her emotions to control and direct conversations and moments. “She hovers, smiles, cries, and controls” (64). She uses her “chatty” (135) personality to redirect questions, such as when Jenna asks why they moved from Boston. Jenna gains a new appreciation for Mother’s suffering when Mother describes watching Jenna die in the hospital. “‘It wasn’t just you who’s been through hell’” (138), Mother tells her. Jenna acknowledges Mother’s innate strength, but realizes she does not have the “strength to let go” (235). That is why she chose to save Jenna despite the costs, and why Jenna must ultimately break away from her by demanding new colors in her room and destroying her backup. Mother is horrified by Jenna’s choice, but loves her regardless. 

Father, or Matthew Fox, is Jenna father, a scientist, and the creator of Bio Gel, the material used to create Jenna’s new body and brain. He is, according to Lily, “filthy” rich (31). Though he adores Jenna, he is also inherently selfish, ordering Jenna to stay alive for his sake rather than her own. He calls Jenna “Angel” frequently, in a clear allusion to the way he sees his daughter—perfect and worthy of adoration, not as a flawed, human girl. Jenna likes that Father is always “direct” (122), but acknowledges that he “is more confident as a doctor than as my father” (122). Father loves Jenna’s new body almost as much as he loves her, and Jenna gets the sense that her father wants her to “be impressed” (126) by his “handiwork” (126). “As long as he is in doctor-scientist mode” (136), Jenna notes, “he is talkative and in charge. When he veers into father mode, he stumbles and looks in many ways the mirror image of Mother” (136). And yet, though he is more confident as a doctor, what he truly wants above all else is to keep Jenna safe and happy. As he says to his security detail: “‘[Jenna’s] my life, Ted’” (236). 

Lily is Jenna’s maternal grandmother. She is a former doctor who now spends her time cooking and gardening. Before the accident, Jenna called Lily “Nana,” but switched to her first name after awakening. This change marks the clear divide between the old and new Jennas, and mirrors Lily’s coldness towards the new Jenna. Unlike Mother and Father, who are overjoyed by Jenna’s awakening, Lily is initially extremely distrustful. Jenna’s cries frighten Lily, and she describes Jenna’s sobs as being “‘like an animal’” (6). In the beginning, Lily draws a rigid line between the new Jenna and the granddaughter she has lost, referring to “her” when speaking to new Jenna about old Jenna, and constantly categorizing the new Jenna as “‘not natural’” (7). Some of Lily’s fears come from her deeply-held Catholic faith. She believes wholeheartedly in God and is willing to trust matters of life and death to him in a way that Jenna’s parents will not. While Jenna is in her coma, she hears Lily “mumbling...prayers. And bargaining, too” (50). When it becomes clear that Jenna is beyond normal medical intervention, Lily, despite her love for Jenna, encourages her granddaughter to “‘let go if you need to’” (120). Lily believes in what she cannot see, but can only feel. Unlike Jenna’s parents, she believes “‘there are things worse than dying’” (132).

As Jenna’s memories return, she realizes there is much more to Lily than the “quiet, intent, angry” (147) person she sees before her. She remembers a time when Lily was the peacemaker, encouraging Mother to “‘let [Jenna] be’” (147) and when “‘a sharp word was rare’” (147). Though Mother is more outwardly fearful, Lily is a cautious and fearful person, too. “Does she think I am dangerous?” (84), Jenna wonders, “That I would hurt her?” (84). Wrapped up in Lily’s fear is her guilt over participating in ethically dubious medical research and failing to save her husband, who died in an epidemic. She reacts with “stiffness and rage” (36) when Jenna brings her grandfather up.

Lily is a woman who values honesty, and of Jenna’s family members, is the one who pushes Jenna to discover her true origins. She directs Jenna toward the last home video in the hope that Jenna will notice her height difference and guides Jenna towards the fact that she has been programmed. Lily loves Claire and admits that she would do almost anything for her “‘only daughter’” (188), but she values honesty more. Jenna, she declares, has “a right to know’” (149) about what’s happened to her. After Jenna has her breakdown over the red skirt, there is a shift in Lily’s relationship with her. “‘What were you looking for when you turned into a human tornado?’” (187), she asks, using the word “human” in relation to Jenna for the first time. Though Lily, a woman dedicated to preserving “original seed” (38) plants, is reluctant to see the new Jenna as a human being, she is eventually persuaded. Lily is the one who challenges Jenna on what she might “‘need’” (232) and is the one to force Mother to “‘listen’” (232). She is, as she was in the past, the broker between Jenna and Mother. In the penultimate section, Lily baptizes Jenna in an impromptu, unofficial ceremony, taking on the role of godmother, just as she did for the old Jenna. In the world of the novel, which is filled with scientist characters and discussions of technology, Lily serves to represent faith. “‘Some things aren’t meant to be known’” (261), she tells Jenna, “‘Only believed’” (261). 

Ethan is one of Jenna’s classmates, her volunteer partner at the mission, and, eventually, her boyfriend. “Literature is Ethan’s strength” (70), Jenna learns, and her greatest discussions and worst fights with Ethan seem to center on their differing interpretations of Walden. Ethan is initially annoyed by Jenna, resenting her corrections, which cause him to “raise his voice” (72) and eventually snap at her. Despite this, Ethan shows great empathy and kindness to Jenna early on, as he is the one to invite her to lunch. Ethan is hot tempered and shows a low threshold for anger. During Jenna’s first lunch, he is set off by something as simple as Jenna repeating Dane’s mean nickname for the group. He frequently feels guilty for his outbursts, though—a quality Dane does not possess—and apologizes to Jenna shortly after snapping at her. He is attracted to Jenna early on, as she notes that “he works close by my side even though there is a long wall of dirt to remove” (88). His ability to treat Jenna as “nothing special” (89) endears him to her and separates him from her overbearing, overprotective family.

Ethan’s secrets are a major part of his life, and Dane notes that Ethan’s main problem is that “he can’t deal with the truth. He can’t even tell the truth” (98). Jenna also notes Ethan’s reluctance to share his past, and that when she asks a simple question about his hometown, “he looks at me like I have asked him to give me a pint of blood…” (104). When Ethan does reveal his violent past, Jenna realizes that “Ethan knows more about himself than he ever wanted to know” (105), in a clear juxtaposition to Jenna, who knows so little. The more Jenna learns about the circumstances of Ethan’s crime, the clearer it becomes that Ethan will do anything to protect those he loves. He beat up the drug dealer who turned his brother into an addict and still does not consider what he did to be a crime: “‘I know what a monster is, Jenna’” (165), he tells her, “‘It’s not me, and it’s not you’” (165). He is just as willing to save Jenna from the FSEB at all costs, immediately concocting a “desperate plan” (248) for Jenna’s escape.

In Ethan, with his dark past and secrets, Jenna finds a kindred spirit, the only one will accept her just as she is. When Jenna first tells Ethan about her artificial body, he responds not with horror or disgust, but by saying, “‘They’re beautiful’” (163). Ethan, too, finds someone who can truly understand the difficulties of reconstructing one’s identity and living with a difficult past: “‘Maybe that’s what I see when I look at you, Jenna’” (212), he tells her, “Someone who will never fit in again in quite the same way. Someone like me. Someone with a past that’s changed their future forever’” (212). In The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Ethan exists to serve as a link between Jenna’s feelings of alienation and the rest of the world, to show that her doubts and insecurities are, indeed, human ones. In the end, Ethan and Jenna are also soul mates, spending “seventy good years” (264) together before Ethan’s death.

Allys is one of Jenna’s classmates at the village charter school. She is a quadruple amputee with prosthetic limbs she is still learning how to use. After a terrible infection that cost Allys her limbs and her general health, she has become an activist for responsible medical practices and government oversight of doctors and research facilities. She is a staunch supporter of the FSEB, and defends them at every opportunity. Above all, as Jenna notes, Allys “is passionate” (92). Not one to take the easy way out, she chooses to conduct her lesson in a steep ravine, and though it is difficult for her to climb down, she does so “without her braces” (167), showing strength and fortitude. When Jenna asks if Allys is bitter after what has happened to her, Allys tells her that she refuses to engage in self-pity, explaining that she is “‘trying to channel that bitterness into determination’” (167). Her desire to help others leads her to volunteer at the local medical center, something Jenna notes Allys would do regardless of the “community volunteer project” (92) requirement.

Allys is a firm believer in fairness and doing things because they are right, not just possible. “Just because we can doesn’t mean we should” (95). Allys sometimes allows her deeply-held principles to overtake her inherent kindness, as evidenced by her urging her parents to turn Jenna in to the FSEB. Though Jenna is Allys’ friend and Allys was the first to say, “‘I like you, Jenna’” (76), the fact remains that Jenna broke the law. Jenna thinks Allys might not tell, but Ethan knows better. “‘I saw her eyes’” (213), he says, indicating that Allys’ need to tell is coming from deep within her soul. In order not to betray everything she stands for, she must tell. When Allys is dying, she will still only look at the big picture, not succumb to emotion. “‘It’s too late for me’” (246), she tells Ethan and Jenna, referring to any further medical treatment, “‘It’s the law, remember?’” (246). Even at death’s door, Allys’ principles remain firm and unchanging.

Jenna knows just how unyielding and unchanging Allys’ politics are, and when Allys’ parents appear at her door, asking Father to save her, Jenna wonders if Allys will even accept this help. “Have my perspectives changed?” (259), she asks, “Yes. But Allys? The world?” (259). Eventually, Allys does come to terms with the way she was saved and becomes “the only person on the planet whom [Jenna] can now call a peer” (263). In the end, Allys, with her strict and unmovable principles, shows just how much individual people and the world can change.

Dane is Jenna’s neighbor and one of her classmates at the ecosystem-focused village charter. Jenna associates him with the color white—his house, hair, and teeth are all blindingly white. Jenna is initially drawn to Dane and his hypnotic air, but quickly sees another side of his personality at school. Dane is contemptuous of his classmates, calling them “Freaks Unlimited” (68). Unconcerned with being liked or speaking tactfully, Dane is the first to point out that Jenna walks strangely and doesn’t shy away from mentioning Allys’ prosthetics or Ethan’s temper. “‘Dane pushes our buttons’” (77), Ethan admits, while Allys maintains that Dane is “‘missing something...really missing something” (77).

At first, Dane and his honesty “intrigues” (77) Jenna, but she quickly comes to agree with Allys that Dane is missing something vital. He appears to be missing empathy, and Jenna terms him a “sociopath,” someone who “connect[s] with no one but themselves and their own self-interests” (167). Dane is highly manipulative, especially towards Jenna. He tries to monopolize her attention in class, and Jenna notices “the smile that twists his lips but never reaches his eyes” (145). He plays on Jenna’s sympathy, asking plaintively if she’ll hold his “honesty” (97) against him and using his friendlessness to wheedle a “friendship” out of Jenna and thanking her for an “invite” (98) that she never extended to him.

Though Jenna senses that something is off with Dane, and says that “what I see in Dane’s perfectly beautiful face disturbs me” (98), his most powerful role in novel comes when he suddenly turns violent. He manhandles Jenna and tries to drag her to another location, but Jenna fights back, seeing that he is “hungry for nothing else but destruction, empty of self and others” (216). Ultimately, she escapes. Dane and his sociopathic lack of feeling exist to make a clear distinction between Jenna’s true humanity and Dane’s lack thereof. He, a “flesh and blood” (216) boy, is “one hundred percent of nothing” (216).