The Red Pyramid

Carter is one of the main protagonists of The Red Pyramid. Carter is interracial and presents as Black, meaning that though his dad is Black, and his mom is white, he looks like his dad. Carter is a rule-follower and takes his dad’s advice to always look and act his best. As a result, Sadie thinks he dresses “like a junior professor” (39) in button-down shirts and loafers, but Carter’s experience of being judged more harshly due to his skin color has taught him to always make an effort with his appearance.

Carter’s rule-following nature overflows into his decision-making as a magician. Carter hesitates to stray from the advice or rules set down by adults. As a result, he is sometimes overly cautious, such as when he and Sadie are defending the mansion and Carter doesn’t want to go into the library because Amos told them not to. As the obstacles the kids face grow in danger and intensity, Carter realizes that sometimes the rules need to be broken for the safety of those around him. Even at the end of the book, Carter would still rather follow the rules, evidenced by how he is unsure about Sadie’s decision to diverge from the plan to destroy Set.