Allergic

Maggie’s friend Sebastian creates a notebook of the facts that he and Maggie find interesting. This notebook symbolizes Sebastian’s loyalty to science and facts. Before coming up with the idea for the notebook, Sebastian demonstrates his commitment to scientific information when he researches allergy shots and food allergies because he doesn’t understand why the shots don’t help with this type of allergy. He has a wealth of knowledge about allergies because of his love for the truth and because he and his sister both have serious allergy conditions.

When he creates the notebook, he documents various things, such as the fact that California was once underwater and that people often falsely think all Californians go to the beach a lot. This second fact shows how fact and opinion are different things and that popular beliefs aren’t necessarily true. Maggie wants to avoid the truth of her allergies, but Sebastian knows that she won’t succeed. The notebook is an apt symbol for his character because recording facts helps people value the truth, face obstacles, and remember what they find interesting, which are all central to Sebastian’s approach to life.