In Jon Hassler’s Grand Opening, Brendan Foster learns to mature, he shows that becoming an adult is a conscious effort to right one’s wrongs and make peace with one’s foolishness. At first, all Brendan cares about is how others view him, he’s selfish and ignorant to others feelings. Brendan cannot let Dodger damage his developing image, he says:
‘We can’t be friends anymore.’
‘We can’t? Why not?’
‘Because.’ He chose not to accuse him of being a weight on his rising fortunes. ‘Just because.’
‘Because why?’ The ‘why’ was drawn out, a whine.
‘Because my folks said so.’ Brendan averted his eyes avoiding Dodger’s squint. Brendan wasn’t good at lying. But good enough, apparently, to convince Dodger, for whom this rejection was nothing new. …show more content…
‘Hey, somebody catch Rufus!’ cried Brendan, standing up on the hood of the car and pointing. ‘He’ll fall in that hole!’ But his voice was lost in the cheering… He jumped to the ground and ran to Rufus, who teetered at the verge of the grease pit; he clutched his hand and wrenched him around. … As Brendan stepped into the shade of the awning and brought Rufus to a halt at his mother’s side, he felt virtuous and mature, felt that Dodger -- at least at the moment-- was satisfied. (325)
Brendan, although forced, saved Rufus from falling into the grease pit. He proved to himself that he could act as an adult and have considerable effect on Rufus and Mrs.Ottmann’s lives. Brendan faced Rufus, who he was once afraid of, and displayed confidence, courage, and fortitude. This sophistication could show in anyone who is put in an extreme situation such as this one. The rather sudden maturing of Brendan Foster can be traced back to the mindful attempts at rebuilding his once childish self. The role Brendan Foster plays Grand Opening goes back to the idea that he has to deliberately fix ties he has damaged and abandon the childish ways he has been so accustomed to. By the end, Brendan manages to be a hero by saving a life, this shows that he’s matured greatly within a very short amount of time. The events that Brendan has had to face would have the same effect on most, if not all, people his
‘We can’t be friends anymore.’
‘We can’t? Why not?’
‘Because.’ He chose not to accuse him of being a weight on his rising fortunes. ‘Just because.’
‘Because why?’ The ‘why’ was drawn out, a whine.
‘Because my folks said so.’ Brendan averted his eyes avoiding Dodger’s squint. Brendan wasn’t good at lying. But good enough, apparently, to convince Dodger, for whom this rejection was nothing new. …show more content…
‘Hey, somebody catch Rufus!’ cried Brendan, standing up on the hood of the car and pointing. ‘He’ll fall in that hole!’ But his voice was lost in the cheering… He jumped to the ground and ran to Rufus, who teetered at the verge of the grease pit; he clutched his hand and wrenched him around. … As Brendan stepped into the shade of the awning and brought Rufus to a halt at his mother’s side, he felt virtuous and mature, felt that Dodger -- at least at the moment-- was satisfied. (325)
Brendan, although forced, saved Rufus from falling into the grease pit. He proved to himself that he could act as an adult and have considerable effect on Rufus and Mrs.Ottmann’s lives. Brendan faced Rufus, who he was once afraid of, and displayed confidence, courage, and fortitude. This sophistication could show in anyone who is put in an extreme situation such as this one. The rather sudden maturing of Brendan Foster can be traced back to the mindful attempts at rebuilding his once childish self. The role Brendan Foster plays Grand Opening goes back to the idea that he has to deliberately fix ties he has damaged and abandon the childish ways he has been so accustomed to. By the end, Brendan manages to be a hero by saving a life, this shows that he’s matured greatly within a very short amount of time. The events that Brendan has had to face would have the same effect on most, if not all, people his