Was it realistic for Ginny not to think that her Baby Doll would have aged?

I had a little problem with her thinking that her Baby Doll wouldn't have grown older as she herself grew older. She knew she was a real baby as she cared for her when Gloria didn't want to. Did anyone else feel this way?

It was, of course, not realistic for any of us or the characters in the book to think she was not aging but for a child with Ginny's handicap to be taken from the only environment she has ever known and be sent to totally strange places it is not too hard to accept that she thought she was still a baby. I also felt that she should be highly regarded for being so concerned about the baby who was of course no longer a baby.

I thought it was interesting to get a view into what the thought process might be for someone who is autistic. It was pointed out that Ginny knew she had gotten older, but how much of that comes from celebrating birthdays and age being so important to kids? Seems like those are the most asked questions, what's your name and how old are you? My sense is that her concern over Baby Doll's welfare was the driving concern and she didn't think through the aging part.

I agree with ColoradoGirl. She didn't see her baby doll as having birthday parties and growing older. She just knew that she had to take care of her because Gloria could not. How horrible to be so stressed out your entire life. I can't even imagine.

I think Ginny was so literal minded that she would naturally think that her Baby Doll would look exactly as she had the last time she saw her. In fact, she was convinced at first that her Baby Doll was still in the suitcase under the bed. It was only when Crystal with a C told her that she had taken the Baby Doll out of the suitcase that Ginny understood it to be true (because Crystal with a C doesn't lie). Also, Ginny took literally Crystal with a C's unfortunate expression "she'll always be your little baby." I think without being there to see her Baby Doll grow up, she couldn't conceive that it was possible.

This was one of the most realistic aspects of the book. Ginny fixed everything in her mind as it was when she last saw it. Therefore, she would not be capable of imagining her sister as a young girl rather than a baby. As a person without autism, I am even startled when I see children after an 8 or 10 year absence & realize how much they have grown & changed! Without the ability of being able to abstract time, it would be impossible for Ginny to visualize her sister as anything other than a small baby.

I agree with those who have stated that Ginny is a "literal thinker". It is understandable why she would think her little sister was still a baby. It was enlightening to me to see how people with autism think. The author has experience with fostering, adoption and special kids so it is feasible his characterization of an autistic teen in foster care is accurate.

Absolutely. Ginny's pattern of thinking was concrete and her reality existed of those things she could see and know in a very literal way.

Given Ginny's autism and not sure how she thinks all the time I think it was reasonable for her to think she was still an infant

Ginny took what Crystal with a C told her literally in all other things, why not believe that the child would always be an infant?

It was believable, as her own childhood had been so difficult. It was surprising that the adults weren't more questing about the baby doll and that it was only when Ginny gave her a name that the faults in her life realized that the doll was really human.

I agree with what several have already said here - this was one of the most accurate aspects of the novel. Ginny's character was fixed on that time in her life and as a result, baby doll would be exactly as Ginny remembered her the last time she was with her or saw her.

I agree with what the others have already said here - Ginny's character was fixed on that particular time in her life and as a result, 'her baby doll' would be exactly as she remembered her the last time she was with her.

I think it was totally realistic. I don't see my nieces or nephew for years at a time and in my mind's eye they remain the age at which I last saw them. Intellectually I know that's not the case, but I can certainly see how Ginny might be confused, given her strict adherence to the truth and her belief that Crystal could be relied on to always tell her the truth.

I think it was realistic for Ginny to assume her "Baby Doll" was still an infant because she was very literal in her thinking and took Crystal at her literal word. Up until the birth of Wendy, Ginny had not experienced another infant growing up to have any other context for this change. It did seem far-fetched, however, when the adults would not just explain to her that her "Baby Doll" would now be a six year old girl.

Ginny was focused on the one event, hiding the baby and then worrying that the baby wasn't found. Her perception of time passing didn't exist. I kind of connected to the feeling a person might have when a loved one dies. From that time on, no matter how much time passes, you remember that person or that day as if it is yesterday because nothing happens in between with that person. Leaving the baby was traumatic for Ginny.

Since Ginny was autistic, although somewhat functional, and because her life with Gloria had been so very dysfunctional, it probably was realistic for her to be stuck in a time warp relating to "Baby Doll." It is often hard for "normal" people to realize how much friends or relatives that they don't see for several years have aged. I know that I tend to thing of people as they were when I last saw them, even if many years have gone by.

I wonder too if some of Ginny's "misunderstanding" had to do with the fact that both Crystal and Gloria referred to the baby as "Baby Doll". They didn't use her given name when they were talking to Ginny about Krystal. Both of them depersonalized her. Ginny protected Baby Doll like she tried to protect the dog. Ginny compartmentalizes and structures her life so that she can better cope. Baby Doll was included in this. Had Ginny not done this, she may have had a complete breakdown that would have left her unable to help anyone, especially Krystal.

This is the last time Ginny has seen Krystal--as a baby. She knows she is safe, fed, and held because Ginny made sure of it. Maybe Ginny cannot see Krystal without her, or is scared to consider what may have happened to her once they were separated. She sees Krystal just as she was when she left because Krystal was alive and okay then. (Well, as okay as someone can be in a suitcase.) It may be too difficult for Ginny to look past that point.

No, I don't think it was. She hadn't seen Baby Doll since she was a baby and just assumed she was the same. It might have been realistic if she had seen Wendy grow from a baby to a little girl - so she saw the progression - but I think when something was one way in her brain, it just didn't change.

How does one define “realistic” for someone with autism? I have no idea. I agree with Coloradogirl that Ginny’s thought processes were so different that it is hard to understand why she couldn’t understand about Baby Doll. She wanted to protect her baby sister, and that is all that was important to her.

Ginny was fixated on the past and her baby doll. Her turbulent past makes sense Ginny has no concept of time. Her concern for her baby doll was quite touching and made perfect sense