Student Question
Summarize Marilyn Lee Cross's character and reasons for being aboard the EDS in "The Cold Equations."
Quick answer:
Marilyn Lee Cross is a teenage girl characterized by impulsiveness and ignorance in "The Cold Equations." She stows away on the EDS to visit her brother, unaware of the strict regulations and consequences. Described as short, with brown curls and a naive demeanor, Marilyn's resourcefulness in reaching her brother's location contrasts with her impracticality and sense of entitlement, mistakenly believing her actions would not have severe consequences.
Tom Godwin offers the story of a lonely teenage girl desperate to see her only sibling. Marilyn decides to travel to her brother, but she is unprepared and ignorant. Although she knows the correct vehicle to board, she fails to learn the necessary rules and regulations. In this regard, Marilyn is impractical to the point of foolhardy. She describes her action as impulsive.
The captain is startled to find that the stowaway is a girl. She is described as short with brown curls, smiling and with a puppy-like look upon realization of being caught. While Marilyn has been resourceful in getting a job where her brother works, she seems to have a sense of entitlement. She expects no serious repercussions for her illegal acts. Sadly for her, she is very wrong.
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