Answelica
Arguably, the most memorable character in the story is a goat named Answelica. In fact, the opening page of the book is pretty much just an extended description of Answelica’s personality presented through descriptive imagery of her peculiar actions:
“When approached, she would merely stare into the distance as if she were considering something profound. And then, when the brothers had relaxed their guard, thinking that perhaps, somehow, Answelica had changed, the goat would come from behind and butt them in the backside as hard as she was able. She was very strong, and she had a very hard head. Because of this, the goat was able to send the monks flying great distances through the air. When they landed, she bit them.”
The Hairbrush
Beatryce at first has extremely unkempt hair. This will not be the case at all as the narrative proceeds. Brother Edik has an epiphany about what to do with all that unkempt hair which goes back to his mother telling him that a woman is always judged by his hair. The memory is prompted by a recollection filled with meaningful imagery:
“Brother Edik stared at the top of Beatryce’s head. Her hair was snarled and matted. It needed a comb and brush. He remembered, suddenly, being a boy and holding his mother’s brush. It had been a beautiful thing, made of wood, the handle of it shaped like the tail of a mermaid encrusted with small jewels. The back of the brush showed the mermaid’s head, with the long and flowing curves of her hair, also strewn with jewels…`If she looks this beautiful from behind,’ the young Brother Edik had said to his father, `then her face must be too beautiful to look upon.’”
A Dazzling Thing
Beatryce is a smart little girl. She’s, you know, different, as Mr. Fox infamously notes about his son. One of her tutors complains that her will is so strong it is dangerous. Another tutor told her mother that there is nothing she is not curious about and therefore cannot learn:
“Answelica’s eyes glowed like strange, shadowed planets. Beatryce knew of planets. The last tutor had a special glass that he used to stare up at the stars. And one early morning, when it was still dark, Beatryce had stood in a field, the tutor beside her and the special glass in her hand. The dew made the hem of her gown heavy. Her feet were cold. She had held the glass up to her eye as the tutor instructed her to do and had seen a glowing orange ball floating in the sky…Beatryce had stood looking—her shoes wet, the weight of her dew-dampened gown pulling her to earth, the magic glass to her eye, the tutor breathing beside her—and it was as if someone had pushed aside a dark, heavy curtain and revealed to her a dazzling thing.”
Jack Dory and the Goat
Beatryce is compelled to believe that she is the little girl who will unseat a king that is mentioned in a prophecy. A team of sorts is compiled to help bring off this prophecy including the aforementioned Brother Edik and Answelica. The goat develops a special bond with Beatryce, of course, but there is also some seriously weird connections going on with a fourth member of Team Beatryce, Jack Dory:
“The goat stood over Jack Dory. Her breath was hot on his face. She said nothing. She was capable of saying nothing. She was only a goat. But he woke to her bright eyes staring at him, and it was as good as if she had spoken. `Now is the time for that sword, you.’ Jack Dory reached for the sword. He wrapped his hand around the hilt and leapt to his feet.”
