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Illustrated portrait of Cecilia “Sissy” Jessup

A character in It Can't Happen Here

Cecilia “Sissy” Jessup

Sissy is Doremus’s younger daughter.

The book

Cover of It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
It Can't Happen HereSinclair Lewis, 1935

An American dictatorship arrives through elections, promises, resentment, and a leader who insists only he can fix the country.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Sissy is Doremus’s younger daughter. Witty, bold, and underestimated by local men, she becomes an effective resistance worker. She resists Ledue’s sexual pressure, helps expose his corruption, and works with Julian Falck. She survives the events covered by the novel and remains connected to the Underground.

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