51 pages • 1 hour read
Tessa BaileyIt Happened One Summer
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Piper Bellinger
Piper Bellinger is the protagonist, female romantic lead, and one of the point-of-view characters in It Happened One Summer. Piper is a blonde, blue-eyed, 28-year-old woman, presumably of European ancestry, who lives in Los Angeles with her mother, wealthy stepfather, and sister. Her father died when she was four years old.
When the story opens, Piper is engaged in a lifestyle that consists mostly of shopping, going to parties, and being seen both in person and through social media. She is slender and very attractive but not, initially, portrayed as having much depth. Her longest romantic relationship is three weeks; she doesn’t have a job or interests; and her decision to break into the Mondrian Hotel shows that she can be reckless and impulsive. She is portrayed as being the stereotype of a party girl whose fame rests on her wealth and attractiveness rather than her talents.
Piper’s development as a character involves learning to be responsible, self-sufficient, and thoughtful of others. Brendan’s view of Piper reflects her development. When Brendan first sees Piper, she seems ridiculous and out of place with her floppy hat and lipstick-shaped purse, “wrists limp and drawn up to her shoulders, as if she was afraid to touch something” (31). During their first dinner, she comes across to him as “pampered one minute and vulnerable the next” (88). But after he falls in love, Brendan tells Piper that she has “perseverance, character, and a huge heart” (263). To him she is “courageous, sweet, clever, seductive, adventurous, kind, guileless one moment, mischievous the next. So beautiful that a smile from her could make him whisper a prayer” (334).
In Westport, Piper shows that she can draw people to her through kindness, in what she does for her grandmother Opal and her new friend Abe. She is loyal to Hannah and shows consideration for other people, especially Brendan when she believes he is grieving his dead wife. Her friendly demeanor and acceptance of other people draw them to her. She admits that she will always enjoy luxury and appreciate expensive things, but her connections to Westport, and to Brendan, allow her to deepen her relationships and appreciate what is solid and real.
Brendan Taggart
Brendan Taggart is the male romantic lead, Piper’s love interest, and the second point-of-view character in the novel. Brendan is a Westport native and feels deeply attached to the town. He is a fisherman and captain of the Della Ray. He married Desiree, a fisherman’s daughter, because she was familiar to him and he was close to her father, Mick, who gave Brendan his boat. He is a steady, rooted man who is set in his ways, likes his routine, and takes responsibility for his crew, who are his closest friends. He doesn’t like to try new things, as evidenced by his preference to eat the same meal at restaurants, and when he sets on a course, he doesn’t deviate from it, even if it doesn’t bring him satisfaction. He tells Piper, “Consistency equals safety on the water” (179). When Piper throws off his routines, introducing an unpredictable element into Westport and his life, Brendan is defensive because he is no longer in control.
Brendan is very tall with silver-green eyes, thick black hair and a beard, and a “beefy musculature” (39). To Piper, “He looked like a real man who worked in the wild, because that’s exactly what he was” (189). Brendan takes pride in being a capable captain who looks after his crew and can find good fishing spots, and he loves both the predictability of his job and the danger of working on the ocean. When she realizes she has fallen in love with him, Piper appreciates his “honor, his patience, his dependability and steadfast nature” (305).
Brendan likes a challenge; his job is described as one of the most hazardous occupations in the US. He enjoys working hard and being rewarded, and he applies this mindset to his pursuit of Piper. He dedicates himself to winning her, pleasing her, and earning her trust and loyalty. He is dominating in bed and takes great satisfaction in sexually pleasing Piper.
Hannah Bellinger
Hannah Bellinger is Piper’s younger sister, favorite person, and best friend. She is also blonde and attractive, but she is not interested in sharing Piper’s lifestyle. Hannah is a location scout for an independent filmmaker, Sergei, on whom she has a crush. Hannah’s favorite hobby is listening to music on vinyl records and creating playlists for every occasion.
Hannah is both a support and a foil for Piper throughout the novel. She is a much more private person than Piper and doesn’t maintain a social media presence, so she can remark on how much Piper is absorbed by creating her self-image. However, Hannah is intensely loyal to Piper and is the person who comes through for her whenever Piper is in distress. Hannah sees the best in Piper and helps to bring it out. Many of her decisions are motivated by trying to protect Piper or trying to make her happy.
Hannah’s reactions to Westport and to finding Opal aren’t given attention in the novel. Aside from helping Piper meets her goals, much of Hannah’s presence in the novel feels like a setup for Hannah’s romance with Brendan’s first mate, Fox, in the sequel novel, Hook, Line, and Sinker, published in 2022.
Henry and Opal Cross
Henry Cross, Piper’s father, is dead when the story opens, but he has a significant impact on the plot of the novel and Piper’s character development. Henry was a fisherman who worked with Mick on the Della Ray. He drowned when a wave swept him overboard into the near-freezing waters of the Bering Sea. After his death, his wife Maureen, Piper and Hannah’s mother, took the girls to Los Angeles, where she found work as a seamstress. In her grief, Maureen did not talk much about Henry to the girls, and because Henry’s mother Opal did not approve of Maureen’s moving away from Westport, Maureen did not tell the girls about Opal, either. In addition to his fishing career, Henry owned and operated a bar, which he left to his daughters.
Opal describes him as “a determined man. Loved to debate. Loved to laugh when it was all over [...] Your father loved you to pieces. Called you his little first mate” (120). Piper’s memories of Henry are vague but as she remains in Westport, he becomes a more real presence to her. Piper’s viewing herself as Henry Cross’s daughter requires, in part, viewing herself as part of Westport.
Opal Cross is in her late sixties and has been living in near seclusion. Her apartment overlooks the harbor so she can feel close to Henry, her only child. Opal found it difficult to relate to the people of Westport when they moved on after Henry’s death and she didn’t. As a supporting character, Opal provides another way for Piper to learn about her past, connect to Westport, and demonstrate kindness. Getting to know her grandmother and learning more about her father also help Piper in discovering her identity.
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