Bliss

Bliss Inthemorningdew

Bliss is the Main character of the story and yes, her real last name is "Inthemorningdew". She grew up with her hippie parents on a commune. . Shes a sweet girl who doesnt know all the rules to the world, but she has to figure them out once she moves in with her rich and proper grandmother in Atlanta.

Crestview Academy

Crestview Academy is where Bliss is enrolled by her Gradmother. Its the most prestigious private school in the South. It used to be a convet that was centered around catholicism. Now the school follows a more christian code of conduct

Devil Worship

The devil is brought up in the book multiple times, mostly because of the murders that were happening during the time that end up being the manson family. Even though they were happening in california, Bliss and her grandmother didn't feel at ease

Elsie

Elsie is an elderly woman who Sandy, Bliss's best friend, plays the harp for at a retirement home. She seems sweet but she has these

Friendship

Friendship is a big part of this story. Bliss neve had a normal life with normal friends, so she's not quite sure what to look for in one. She finds friends who dont share the same values as her, but then she finds Sandy who she's able to be herself with

Ghost

The ghost story of Hamilton Hall is a known thing around the school, however Bliss is the only one to ever come in contact with her. Ever since her first day she heard a chilling voice when she was in Hamilton Hall. Her name was Lilliana and she started out as a normal girl. Her beliefs slowly led to blood magic and ritual sacrafices. After being caught and put away in a room with only one window, she gave up and jumped from the third story building

Hamilton Hall

Hamilton hall is presumed to be haunted by a past student. Bliss begins to hear a chilling voice as she enters the building.

Immaculate Conception

Immaculate conception is what happened between Jesus and Mary. Sharon Tate, a victim of Charles Manson was married to director of "Rosemarys baby" a film where a woman suspects that her neighbors are members of a Satanic cult, and are grooming her in order to use her baby for their rituals. The woman who was killed after Sharon Tate was named Rosemary which my or may not just be coincidence, but it doesnt seem like one

Jolene Roach

Jolene is one of the first girls that Bliss meets. She becomes friends with Bliss throughout the book. Bliss labels her as the "nice one"

KKK

After a class on race, Bliss asks Jolene if its still a thing which she replies with "are you kidding?" memebers of the clan meet at Stone Mountain

Lawrence

Lawrence is the one and only black student at Crestview. The school didn't want to be put under fire, so they handpicked Lawrence. Hes the "token black person"

Mitchell

Mitchell is a boy who catches Bliss's eye. Hes often seen reading, and he has sad soulful eyes even when he's with friends. Bliss calls him her "Angel-boy"

nixon

Richard Nixon was the president from 1969 to 1974. The book mentions that Bliss's parents fled to Canada o avoid supporting Nixons version of American patriotism

Occult

Satanic panic and questions of the occult are abundent in this book and in the time it was set in. People believed that anything unjust in the world was caused by nonbelievers and Satan himself

power

"Abuse of power is wrong, no matter the context, no matter the history. What is "power," anyway? Power is an ego trip. Power is a way to raise yourself up by lowering others, and I want nothing of it" (Myracle 77).

Quirky

Bliss is very quirky in the sense that she never really had a chance at a normal life. To her, normal is living on a commune, not sitting around watching tv and smelling like lavender

Racism

Because of the time Period this book was set in, talk of racism and segregation was prevalent. Segregaation was still a thing and many people thought it was the right thing to do. However, Bliss thinks that racism is wickedness

Sarah Lynn

Sarah Lynn is the most prized after girl in school. Everyone seems to obsessed with her, but Bliss sees a fakeness in her that others dont.

Thelma

Thelma was the one to show Bliss around on her first day after Sarah Lynn say's she's "too busy." Thelma has a bit of a loud mouth and is the type of person to change her opinion depending on what others say

Utilitarian

A utalitarian is someone who believes that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness). I think of Bliss as a Utilitarian, because she can see the good in everyone, and hates to see injustice and prejuduce

virginia

Virginia, aka "flying V" was the person Bliss was closest with on the commune who could see visions of future holdings, and although they could be right sometimes, when she tells Bliss about what could happen at her new school, she doesnt really believe her

Wesley Hall

Wesley Hall is the prettiest of all the buildings on campus. Bliss describes it to be like a giant chessboard with black and while marble floors you can see your reflection in

Ying and Yang

There is a lot of conversation on good and bad, pure and evil in the book. Ying and Yang are supposed to represent light and dark and how we all have a bit of both in us. Bliss likes to see the good, or in other words the yang. However, she fails to realize that people arent always good natured

Zeal

Bliss has a lot zeal/passion towards treating others right. She grew up with hippie ideals like "make love not war," so when shes put into christian ideals, shes confused by peoples unjust feelings towards those who are different