Who is Rachel Kalama?

There are a lot of things going on in my representation of Rachel, so lets begin. First, I have her name written in bright colors in the middle of the paper. I chose those colors because she is a colorful and vibrant little girl. Next, I have a little doll next to the R because Rachel loves dolls. They are an important part of her relationship with her father because he is rarely home. Wherever he travels to, he always brings back a doll for Rachel to play with and keep in her collection. Without her dolls, it is likely that Rachel would have felt sad and nostalgic of her life back home. Next, there is a shoe on the L to signify the days in which she wore shoes to school to hide her leprosy. She was teased and called Miss Shoe continuously and it was the first time she began feeling out of place. Furthermore, I drew a large boat which represents 2 things. First, it signifies Henry's job, his constant traveling. Second, it represents the boats that the leprosy patients were packed onto and shipped to Moloka'i. Finally, the whole setting of my drawing is the beach, more specifically Kalaupapa on Moloka'i. That is where the leprosy colony is located and where Rachel will spend the rest of her life. It is central to her story so I made it the most prominent thing in my representation.
     The quote I chose does not come directly from Rachel but I thought that it was said during an important time of her life. This quote represents the exact moment in which Sarah, Rachel's sister, called her a leper in front of her school mates and turned Rachel's life upside down. This was the moment when everyone found out that Rachel had leprosy and Sarah is the reason why Rachel got sent away to Moloka'i. Also, this was the first time that Rachel thought of herself as a leper and but two and two together. It was an overwhelming moment, not only for Sarah and Rachel as individuals, but for their whole relationship as well. That was perhaps the most life-changing moment in the book.