What are three traits of Kira in Gathering Blue, supported by her actions, thoughts, and words?

In Lois Lowry's novel Gathering Blue, Kira has both intelligence and imagination, courage, and talent.

1. Imagination

While her mother is alive, Kira tells the children creative stories that captivate and entertain them, and she teaches them games. Kira is also a reliable helper to her mother in the weaving shed. Her mother praises Kira for her imagination:

"The stories you tell to the tykes, the pictures you create with words — and with thread! The threading you do! It is unlike any threading the people have ever seen. Far beyond anything I could do!" (Ch. 1)

As it turns out, creativity and imagination are held in high esteem in Kira's society.

2. Courage

After Kira's mother dies, Kira remembers her advice to take pride in her pain. "You are stronger than those who have none." This statement proves to be true when Vandara challenges Kira for her spot after her mother's death, telling her "Your space is gone." Because Kira refuses to give way to Vandara, Vandara picks up a rock, as do others. Kira summons memories of what her mother or father would have done in such a situation, and she then bravely challenges the women:

"Remember that if conflict is not taken to the Council of Guardians, and if there is a death..." She heard a murmur. "If there is a death..." (Ch. 2)

A woman repeats in "an uncertain, apprehensive voice" what Kira has said. "Kira waited. She stood as tall and straight as she could." Then, the women lay down their rocks out of their fear of the repercussions of taking aggressive action against Kira, and Vandara decides to take the matter up with the Council of Guardians.

3. Talent/Creativity

At the Council of Guardians, Vandara presents her arguments against Kira. When she is questioned at this Council, Kira is humble and respectful as she touches the cloth she has woven in her pocket, a cloth that has one of her creative patterns.

Her mother used to make repairs to the Singer's robe, an ancient garment worn for a very special ceremony when the Singer would perform the Ruin Song. Kira recalls helping her mother, and after a while, her ability surpassed her mother's teaching:

....without instruction or practice, without hesitancy, her fingers felt the way to twist and weave and stitch the special threads together to create designs rich and explosive with color. (Ch. 4)

Because of this talent, Jamison, who acts as her defender before the Council, concedes that Kira does drag her leg and she is slow. However, he points to her exceptional talent, as well. At the conclusion of the hearing, the chief guardian awards Kira's spot to Vandara; however, Kira is then given an important position. She is told to gather her things because she will be taken to her new quarters in the Council Edifice where she will live. Kira will work on the Singer's robe as a seamstress.

In Gathering Blue, how does Kira change throughout the story?

Kira begins the story with a great deal of internal focus, and she can hardly be blamed for this. Through a combination of her mother and grandfather's efforts, she has been allowed to live in a world that would have ordinarily cast her out to die on the day of her birth. Kira is a cripple operating in a world in which there is little to no sympathy for someone who cannot contribute to society as standardized by the Way. She feels as though she barely has a place in the world as those around her shun her completely.

This all begins to change as Kira comes into her own as an artist, however. Through finding new skills and maturing, she begins to see that she does indeed have a place in the world and perhaps even the will and talent to change it for the better.

At the beginning of the story, Kira is unsure of herself and is focused on day-to-day survival. She also thinks a lot about the past, especially her recently-deceased mother and her father who she never knew. After she moves into the Council Edifice and her basic needs are provided for, she begins thinking more deeply about life and other people. She takes a special interest in Matt. With Thomas's help, she prevents him from taking part in the hunt, which she feels he is too young to join. When he disappears, she journeys to the Fen to find out whether he needs help. Similarly, she befriends Jo, the little singer who is miserably held captive in the Council Edifice. All these actions show she is becoming more assertive as she focuses on others more than herself.

Kira thinks about the days before the Ruin, and she tries to figure out what Annabella meant by saying, "There be no beasts." She also becomes more aware of her skills as an artist and her intuition. As she matures, all these thoughts and feelings come together to form a conviction of her destiny that she never had before. She starts to realize that as an artist, she may have it in her power to make the future different. Ultimately, she chooses to stay in the community rather than return with her father to his community because she feels committed to use her creativity as an artist to "create the future," a better future not just for herself, but for others and her society.

As the novel unfolds, Kira matures by becoming more focused on others, understanding her artistic talent, and embracing the unique role she can play in improving her society.

In *Gathering Blue*, how does Kira change from the beginning to the end?

You might want to consider the following issues. Firstly, consider the way that Kira is presented at the beginning of the novel. Thanks to the death of her mother, and, she believes, the death of her father long ago, she is an orphan, left alone. In addition, her twisted leg means that she is unable to physically cope with the demanding way of life of her people. She would find it difficult to survive by herself, and her disability means that nobody else would want her. Vandara of course is the woman who challenges Kira's identity, and wants to kill her because she is "worthless" and has nothing to offer her society.

Let us compare this image of Kira with how she is presented at the end of the novel. She has been given a very important position in her society as the "Robe-threader, the designer of the future." She is given an opportunity to pursue her talent and this talent is also nurtured, albeit in a way that matches the Council's desires. Kira thus becomes a valuable and important person for her community, in contrast to her "worthless" state as expressed by Vandara at the beginning of the novel. In addition, she is given a new circle of friends that, she recognises, need her and whom she needs. Thomas and Jo, in addition to the friendship that she already had with Matt, form the centre of her world. Lastly, she discovers that her father is actually alive and that she is not an orphan. These facts lead us to conclude that Kira is a very different character from how she is first presented in this excellent novel.

What are some of Kira's worst qualities in Gathering Blue?

Kira, the main character in Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue, actually exhibits very few negative qualities. Readers might fault with her slightly for her minor outbursts in front of the Council of Guardians during her trial. She unthinkingly interrupts the guardian a couple times, but we can easily excuse her conduct on account of her nervousness and inexperience. She is on trial for her life, after all (see chapter 3).

A little more serious, however, is Kira's almost-but-not-quite lie to the Council in chapter 5. Jamison is questioning Kira about the skills she has learned from her mother. Kira freely admits, “I still have much to learn.” But when Jamison asks her, “And she taught you the coloring, as well as the stitches,” Kira nods, even though she knows her positive answer is not true. She feels that Jamison expects her affirmation. Her conscience immediately pricks her, and she adds, “She was beginning to teach me,” hoping that this is closer to the truth.

Kira's most negative trait, however, is her unquestioning acceptance of the “way things are” in her village. She expects no help or compassion from her neighbors; this is normal to her. She mourns the burning of the tiny cottage she and her mother had shared, yet she does not question the authority of those who ordered the action. She never once doubts the authority of the Council of Guardians to send her to her death in the Field if they so decide, for that is simply the way things are in her village. She notices the behavior of her neighbors, their bickering and backbiting, their cruelty, and their squalor, but these are so normal to her that she does not think even to question that there might be another way to live, something better. It rarely even occurs to her that sending a person with a disability to the Field to die might be wrong, inhuman, and horrific. She is grateful to her mother for saving her, but still the practice seems routine.

None of this, though, is Kira's fault. She knows no better. She has never experienced any other way of life than the brutality and authoritarian customs of her village. Yet she has experienced her mother's kindness and love. She has experienced Matt's carefree happiness. She has experienced the strange sensation of artistic creation.

So she begins, very slowly, to realize that perhaps there is something more to life, more to humanity, than her shallow, cruel little village. Very slowly she begins to question what she has been taught and to think for herself. Her mind opens. Her vision changes. She embarks on a series of revelations that alter her entire outlook, help her embrace her artistic talent, and guide her in making the most important decision of her life.

What are some of Kira's internal traits in Gathering Blue?

Kira is a lot of things.  Physically she is crippled and could have been killed because of it given that her society doesn't tolerate such things.  It's possible her internal character traits arose out of the need to fight against her disability, or perhaps it's fortuitous that she was born with those character traits.  Either way, her internal character traits are what help her stay alive and fight against the old superstitious patterns of her culture.  

Kira is very determined.  She does not give up easily and will continue to work and fight toward what she wants.  That character trait is already hinted at on the second page with this quote:

"Somehow she would build a cott. Then she would find a way to make a life." (3)

That same line indicates that Kira is also hard-working.  She is not one to give up or ask for help right away.  Determined and hard-working often go hand in hand.  Additionally the quote shows that she is resourceful.  She doesn't know how she is going to build a cott.  She just knows that somehow, she will get it done. The cott isn't the only reason she is resourceful, though.  Her society does not look favorably upon crippled people.  Yet Kira seems to always find a way to make herself useful to those around her and to her village as a whole.   

I would also say that Kira is independent.  Her disability automatically distances her from people.  She's a rarity and doesn't really fit in because of it.  Instead of "hiding in a hole" or something like that, Kira stands firm in her abilities and actions.  She makes decisions on her own.