Tracy Flick
| Tracy Flick | |
|---|---|
| Election character | |
Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick
|
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| First appearance | Election (novel) |
| Created by | Tom Perrotta |
| Portrayed by | Reese Witherspoon |
Tracy Enid Flick is a fictional character, originating in the 1998 novel Election by Tom Perrotta and portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the 1999 film adaptation of the same title. Tracy is a smart, ambitious high school student, whose quest to win a school election is nearly derailed by her own ruthlessness and desperation. In both the novel and the film, she is the main antagonist.
Witherspoon's performance as Tracy was widely acclaimed by critics and garnered her multiple awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe nod. The character has since become an icon, as her driven, focused personality and unpopularity among her peers have led to comparisons with many real-life public figures, particularly female politicians such as Hillary Clinton.
Tracy is an overachieving high school junior, preparing for an easy election to the office of student body president after three years of extracurricular toil. Her assumptions of an unopposed victory are dashed when two unexpected challengers enter the race: friendly and popular athlete Paul Metzler, sidelined from the football team by a skiing accident, and Paul's younger adopted sister Tammy, a moody, sarcastic rebel. Paul has been coaxed into running by election supervisor Jim McAllister, a well-liked civics teacher nursing a deep resentment towards Tracy since her affair with Jim's best friend and fellow teacher cost the man his job and family.
As the race continues and Paul's effortless popularity continues to jeopardize Tracy's once-sure victory, Tracy's frustration drives her to commit an act of sabotage against Paul's campaign by ripping down his posters right before election day. Despite Jim McAllister's conviction of her guilt, she escapes punishment again through a stroke of pure luck when Tammy claims responsibility for the crime and is subsequently expelled, which was her objective in "confessing." Tracy wins the election and goes on to attend Georgetown University, her dream school, though she later has difficulty fitting in and becomes disenchanted with her schoolmates. She is later seen in Washington, D.C. working closely alongside a Republican congressman from Nebraska.
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