Alicia Burns

Character Analysis

Sam's gal pal and baby momma wants to be a model… until she gets knocked up. And from what Sam says, she has the looks and the body for it, too. And she definitely has the attitude. All of this goes down the drain when she decides to have the baby, though. In fact, it's Alicia's decision, according to what she tells her mom:

"Well, something to do with it. But it was my decision to keep the baby. He didn't want to, I don't think. And also, I'd already got away. He didn't want to be with me." (9.214)

Alicia is forced to fast-forward through her teenage years and into adulthood all because of one decision. No matter what she chooses to do with her pregnancy, her life will be affected. So goodbye, carefree childhood.

Sometimes Alicia's really mature and decisive, like with the pregnancy. She knows abortion isn't the right choice for her, and rules out adoption quickly, too. We like a girl who knows what she wants.

Other times, though, Alicia's still as immature as any other sixteen-year-old girl. When she gets into a fight with Sam, she yells at him, "You can forget all about seeing Roof […] I'm not letting you near him" (18.37). Oh uh-uh… Even though the situation gets resolved (thanks, Andrea), Alicia deals with the argument in a super juvenile way. We get glimpses of her acting selfishly and petty to remind us that she's still a normal teen trying to figure this whole thing out. For every time she brings maturity to the situation, there's another in which she doesn't. She is only sixteen after all.