I understand why the other sisters did it, and how the parents made an impat on this but, it's not really clear why the 13 year old did it though.
shareDepression and alienation from her sisters. I haven't read the books in a while, but i know those are a few of the reasons why.
"You and me, You and me, Nobody baby but you and me" - Blue Valentine
She was too sensitive for what she saw as a harsh and uncaring world. Cecilia represented childlike wonder and idealism. She couldn't hack it in the real world. She was mourning a tree frog going extinct, because she was so sensitive that kind of thing touched her, but no one else cared. When she saw everyone bullying the retarded boy, she concluded that the world was a horrible place that she didn't want to be a part of.
TL;DR She was an extremely sensitive child.
Don't stick that tl;dr! Your observation is excellent. There are a few good interpretations in the boards, if you look around, about the possible reasoning behind the girls' decisions. But it is hard to express it in a sentence; it is related to subdued "childlike wonder".
shareGreat insight and post!
shareI agree with nicotineprincess that the ultimate tipping point for Cecilia was at the party when the others were laughing at the boy with down syndrome while singing.
shareWas that her ghost that appeared to the guys and her dad, or their imaginations.
shareI didnt think they were laughing at him - they were laughing WITH him. Cecilia was tired with the world already and very depressed.
shareObviously, Okyaaa, you have never been a 13 year old girl.
“How do you propose you get my death eaters into your little daycare center?”
They were making fun of the retarded kid but in a joking way, not being cruel. I'm assuming they were friends to some extent. I too think the kid had depression problems, it could have been genetic.
shareActually, I could debate that all the sister's had depression from environmental factors and also chemical imbalance. I think this is why it seems that some couldn't pin point the 'reason' behind it all, but I think it could have been a mental battle all of them face. In the books, there are a lot of religious symbolism, one could be that her name references St. Cecilia, a martyr who was 12 at the time of death. She absolutely was very sensitive and affected by the world around her. I think her party was the tipping point to her already fragile state.
share