Flora And Ulysses

Flora is the protagonist of Flora and Ulysses. She is passionate about comic books and superheroes, and defies convention whenever she can. Flora has short hair, hates romance, and doesn’t get along with her mother, who is in many ways her opposite. However, Flora’s cynicism begins to fade upon meeting Ulysses. She becomes a “surprisingly helpful cynic” (12) who uses knowledge she’s gained from her Incandesto comics to give Ulysses CPR and save his life. She shows herself to be resourceful and someone who can think on her toes.

Flora has a deep appreciation for The Power of Words, and “knows a good word when she hears it” (23). She loves Ulysses’s poetry and William’s “sad, beautiful sentences” (206). She relates to William because they are both outcasts who are experiencing family issues. Before meeting Ulysses, Flora felt alone after her parents’ divorce. Ulysses inspires Flora to believe in The Possibility of the Impossible outside the realm of her comic books and helps her reconnect with her mother and father. But until this reconciliation, she is conflicted and attempts to repress her emotions, such as when she is surprised to find that she misses William.