A World of Canes is a story about a girl whose name is not mentioned (the narrator) and a boy named Berry. Some other characters are the narrator's grandmother, Granny Ansin, Berry's father, and Lewey. Although the girl is a major character, I think her name is not mentioned because first of all she is the narrator and secondly because the story is her story and that is the focus of A World of Canes.
             The story begins with the narrator asking whether her relationship with Berry began with love or not. She asks if it was love or bullying. In reality, I think most relationships as children begin with bullying because we don't know of another way to express our feelings; until we are sure the person feels the same way, and then we don't call it bullying anymore. This is what happened to the narrator, "...We begin with bullying, meet up with love. Maybe little bit...Una could suppose." Throughout the entire story the narrator is reminiscing on how her and Berry met and fell in love. The narrator is thirteen years old and comes from a poor family. Either she is not a good test taker or she just isn't smart enough, but we know she can not go to high school because she did not pass the mandatory exam. Berry on the other hand, is sixteen and comes from a wealthy family.
             Since the narrator can not go to high school, she is forced to find a job with Mistress Bethel doing needlework. So every day she sees Berry looking at her and she knows he is up to no good, she even gives him the name of the beast. Since the narrator is thirteen years old, I don't think she's ever experienced a boy looking at her so much. The narrator asks herself "What is this man watching at you for? What he watching at you for like that?" because she senses that he is up to no good. She probably calls him the beast not so much because he is scary looking but because she is scared of what he thinks of her and becau...