Half Magic

Jane is the eldest sibling and the authoritative, emotional leader of the group. She is characterized as jealous. When Katharine boasts that their mother considers her a comforting presence, “Jane declared she would utter a piercing shriek and fall over dead if she heard another word about it” (1-2). She similarly resents Alison’s fawning over Mr. Smith. Although Jane silences Katharine’s bantering, she uses extreme and emotional methods. Instead of simply stating she would like Katharine to stop, she creates a scene. This emotional rule over her siblings seeps into many of their adventures. Nevertheless, her influence on them goes beyond these outbursts. After watching the playhouse go up in flames, Jane brushes off a woman who suspects the children of arson: “Jane turned right around and walked out of the yard, holding herself as straight as possible and trying to keep from running. The other three went after her” (11). Instead of being intimidated by an adult or arguing about her innocence, Jane decides to leave, and her siblings follow like ducklings.

Jane’s authority over the children often manifests in her need to establish guidelines, thus demonstrating The Value of Rules and Structure. After Martha’s tantrum about Katharine’s poetry, Jane creates the rule that they cannot read aloud from library books.