In Han Nolan's Dancing On The Edge, the protagonist and narrator of the novel is a ten-year-old girl named Miracle McCloy. Miracle's mother dies in childbirth, and her father abandons her. She is surrounded by her crazy grandma Gigi, her disorganized aunt, and her uncle. Told "If your mama was dead when you was born, then you was never born," Miracle experiences feelings of isolation, low self-esteem and powerlessness (Nolan 39). Miracle's story is one of development and attempted healing, but before she can heal she must acknowledge the truth that the main character she has a conflict with is herself.
One of the main reasons Miracle has an internal conflict is because she blames herself for the woes in her life. Her mother died as she was pulled from her womb live; "It didn't seem natural, a live baby coming out of the body of a dead woman" (Nolan 3). She loves her father, but he is a burnt out literary prodigy and abandons her. Her grandmother is a psychic and is delusional and outright crazy at times. Only her disorganized aunt and uncle offer her much in the way of family. Miracle remains isolated and lonely, blaming herself for her family's troubles and her own.
Another reason Miracle has an internal conflict is because she is too young to have developed the tools to cope with the stressors of her life at such a young age. Instead, she becomes lonely and isolated and feels like a loser as the "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" quote from Emily Dickinson at the opening of the novel reflects (Nolan 1). She has "accidents" and burns herself or becomes so intense in her dancing efforts that she covers herself in bruises. Her self-infliction of pain is an effort not only to punish her but to serve as evidence that she is alive and can feel something.
A final reason Miracle has an internal conflict is because there is no real adult figur
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