Before I Fall

by

Lauren Oliver

Ms. Winters Character Analysis

The vice principal at the school who has a “crazy vendetta” against smokers, and is always lurking around parking lots and secluded spots on campus trying to catch students in the act of smoking cigarettes. When hiding from Ms. Winters one afternoon after cutting class, Sam eventually discovers that she and Mr. Shaw, the athletic director, are having a torrid affair.
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Ms. Winters Character Timeline in Before I Fall

The timeline below shows where the character Ms. Winters appears in Before I Fall. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1 
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
...smokes a cigarette—Lindsay smokes a quick cigarette, too, but puts it out when she sees Ms. Winters , the vice principal who has a “crazy vendetta” against people who smoke. Sam wonders... (full context)
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Cruelty and Loyalty in Friendship and Love Theme Icon
...crying at the edge of the tub—Lindsay tells Sam that Bridget dumped Alex Liment after Ms. Winters caught him and Anna Cartullo together, smoking near the tennis courts. (full context)
Chapter 2 
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Cruelty and Loyalty in Friendship and Love Theme Icon
Rebirth, Renewal, and Redemption Theme Icon
...however, Lindsay hadn’t gone inside to mess with them, and they apparently weren’t busted by Ms. Winters for smoking. (full context)
Chapter 3
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
...insists on having a cigarette behind the tennis courts, but is almost immediately spotted by Ms. Winters . Lindsay drops her cigarette and runs. Sam runs, too, though the two go in... (full context)
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
...again, and Sam thinks perhaps he is headed off to teach his own eighth period—instead, Ms. Winters walks in, lamenting that she couldn’t catch the smokers she spotted. (full context)
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
...Sam is disgusted, but after a few seconds the second bell rings, and she hears Ms. Winters proclaim that she is late for a meeting. She hears Mr. Shaw smack Ms. Winters... (full context)
Chapter 4
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Cruelty and Loyalty in Friendship and Love Theme Icon
...door opens and Sam, assuming Anna is coming back, holds the cigarettes up. It is Ms. Winters , though; she reminds Sam menacingly that smoking on school property is forbidden. (full context)
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Sam gets off with a warning after she threatens Ms. Winters with revealing her relationship with Mr. Shaw. She leaves Ms. Winters’s office just as the... (full context)
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
On the drive to the mall, Sam tells the Pugs all about Ms. Winters and Mr. Shaw, and how she leveraged her knowledge of their affair to get out... (full context)