Norman Fishbein Character Analysis in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Norman is a boy in Margaret’s class. She refers to him as a “drip” throughout the novel, which means that she sees him as uncool and unintelligent. However, she never really explains why she feels this way—indeed, she offers little insight into what kind of a person Norman is at all. Norman throws a party for his classmates over the winter holidays, and he ends up kissing Margaret during a game. They also work together on a group project, where Margaret finds him annoying because he works slowly and moves his lips while he reads.

Norman Fishbein Character Timeline in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

The timeline below shows where the character Norman Fishbein appears in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Friendship, Fitting In, and Social Pressure Theme Icon

...who her partner is and tries her best to avoid dancing with Freddy Barnett and Norman Fishbein, who’s a “big drip.” Margaret notices that when Freddy dances with Laura, he blushes... (full context)

...lines, one of girls and one of boys. Margaret walks behind Janie and next to Norman Fishbein, whom she ignores. A week before the pageant, several kids refuse to sing some... (full context)

...who might want Margaret to come to a party. Finally, she opens it. It’s from Norman Fishbein. Margaret shouts. She and Norman never talk and he’s still a “drip,” but “a... (full context)

...races to Mom’s studio to ask if she can go. Mom wants to know who Norman is and if Margaret likes him, then she agrees to let Margaret go. When the... (full context)

...has new nylon and lace underwear to wear. She spends the afternoon thinking that maybe Norman isn’t so bad after all. (full context)

Norman suggests they play a game. He first suggests Guess Who, which is played by turning... (full context)

...two people will go into the small bathroom for two minutes and “well, you know.” Norman writes out numbers on small pieces of paper. The boys draw odd numbers and the... (full context)

Norman goes first and calls for number 16. Gretchen leaps up. They go into the bathroom—but... (full context)

...out. She wants to call Philip’s number, but instead she calls number nine and gets Norman Fishbein. She asks him to kiss her quickly on the cheek, and he complies. Later,... (full context)

...together the groups. Margaret is distraught, especially when she learns she’s in a group with Norman Fishbein, Philip Leroy, and Laura Danker. Mr. Benedict asks everyone to rearrange their desks so... (full context)

...about herself. Margaret decides she hates Mr. Benedict for putting her in a group with Norman. So Margaret’s birthday starts out amazing, but ends up horrible. She can’t wait for her... (full context)

...be a horrible worker; he reads comic books and draws funny things in his notebook. Norman Fishbein tries to work, but he’s slow. Laura’s a good worker, but Margaret certainly isn’t... (full context)