In Jon Hassler’s Grand Opening, Brendan Foster proves that becoming an adult requires a conscious effort to right one's wrongs and make peace with one's foolishness.
Brendan showed us that he was willing to betray a true friend in order to improve his status. We saw this when he ditched Dodger,
“The more thought he gave it, the clearer it became that in order to be accepted by his glamorous classmates he would have to put a distance between himself and Dodger” (44). When Brendan saw that his social position was in jeopardy due to the presence of Dodger, an outcast in the town, he quickly thought about how he could desert him. Many people, including Wallace, told about him about the social destruction he would face if he continued being friends …show more content…
He wanted people with a known reputation to see him as an admirable person, so he chose to abandon Dodger. He brought a boomerang to school in hopes that Sam, Pearl, and other prominent people would admire him for this commendable finding. He hoped that Dodger would leave him alone. In addition, he continued to degrade Dodger in front of others. He made certain that people knew that Dodger and he were not associated and strove to be a well-known individual. The constant fear of not being enough or worthy of people of a higher status is something many people are affected by in modern times. People base their lives off of status and aim to be the most optimum person. Individuals seek to be better than others, and tend to hurt others in the process. Families are broken, relationships are torn apart, and lives are ruined based on status. The hope to be acknowledged, is a predominant endeavor in the world. How much money you have, what you look like, and what job you have are just a few things that dictate …show more content…
Brendan affirmed that he would live his life in a respectful manner and fulfill his promise to Dodger. Brendan was overwhelmed with remorse, especially after not telling his parents that Dodger did not steal the money. He felt abominable for getting caught up in the false sense of popularity that he had. He finally gathered that Dodger was in fact his only true friend, one that would have done anything for him. After the unforeseen death of Dodger, Brendan put things into perspective. He concluded that by becoming the person Dodger would have needed, he could negate some of his wrongdoings. However, he knew that it could not expunge his past. The struggle of wanting to take something back is an immense issue people have now days. Treating someone poorly, not saying I love you, and not telling the truth are all concepts that relate to shame and guilt. Not being the person that someone needed is usually something that you don’t realize until you are forced to. Many times the death of someone is the deciding factor of someone changing their life. Becoming a better person takes realization of one's mistakes and pressures you into realizing what you have done. That realization often times comes in the form of shame and is hard to let go of. People often times do not get the chance to
Brendan showed us that he was willing to betray a true friend in order to improve his status. We saw this when he ditched Dodger,
“The more thought he gave it, the clearer it became that in order to be accepted by his glamorous classmates he would have to put a distance between himself and Dodger” (44). When Brendan saw that his social position was in jeopardy due to the presence of Dodger, an outcast in the town, he quickly thought about how he could desert him. Many people, including Wallace, told about him about the social destruction he would face if he continued being friends …show more content…
He wanted people with a known reputation to see him as an admirable person, so he chose to abandon Dodger. He brought a boomerang to school in hopes that Sam, Pearl, and other prominent people would admire him for this commendable finding. He hoped that Dodger would leave him alone. In addition, he continued to degrade Dodger in front of others. He made certain that people knew that Dodger and he were not associated and strove to be a well-known individual. The constant fear of not being enough or worthy of people of a higher status is something many people are affected by in modern times. People base their lives off of status and aim to be the most optimum person. Individuals seek to be better than others, and tend to hurt others in the process. Families are broken, relationships are torn apart, and lives are ruined based on status. The hope to be acknowledged, is a predominant endeavor in the world. How much money you have, what you look like, and what job you have are just a few things that dictate …show more content…
Brendan affirmed that he would live his life in a respectful manner and fulfill his promise to Dodger. Brendan was overwhelmed with remorse, especially after not telling his parents that Dodger did not steal the money. He felt abominable for getting caught up in the false sense of popularity that he had. He finally gathered that Dodger was in fact his only true friend, one that would have done anything for him. After the unforeseen death of Dodger, Brendan put things into perspective. He concluded that by becoming the person Dodger would have needed, he could negate some of his wrongdoings. However, he knew that it could not expunge his past. The struggle of wanting to take something back is an immense issue people have now days. Treating someone poorly, not saying I love you, and not telling the truth are all concepts that relate to shame and guilt. Not being the person that someone needed is usually something that you don’t realize until you are forced to. Many times the death of someone is the deciding factor of someone changing their life. Becoming a better person takes realization of one's mistakes and pressures you into realizing what you have done. That realization often times comes in the form of shame and is hard to let go of. People often times do not get the chance to