Queenie Cookson Character Analysis

Queenie Cookson is Bruce’s girlfriend for a period in high school. The two haunt the library at the same hours, and eventually Queenie simply decides that they are a couple, to which Bruce doesn’t object. Bruce enjoys spending time with her, but he never takes an active interest in their relationship. He makes no attempt to share with her the tumultuous ongoings in his life, and when she eventually breaks up with him, he tries to appear sad but in truth is hardly bothered. Queenie’s character throws Bruce’s poor communication skills into high relief, although Bruce’s lack of interest arguably makes sense: his surfing life outside school is so far removed and incompatible with standard high-schoolers’ concerns that he perhaps feels there is no point in talking about it. The two reconnect on a school camping trip but fail to consummate their one-night stand, and this normal adolescent sexual frustration creates a contrast with the wild plunge into the deep end of sexuality that Bruce will soon experience with Eva.