Christopher The Impaler

A teenage girl ends up with a bullet to the head while her boyfriend pleads suicide. The close neighbors Emily and Chris have been best friends their whole lives –literally- even their parents are quite good friends. Until one night, both Emily and Christopher end up in the hospital, but only one can tell anyone what happened. To evaluate the situation will help to understand the story. Early characterization is paramount to getting to know your story; I will characterize Christopher, the alleged killer. I am also going to be predicting what happens to Christopher while he is under investigation for killing Emily.
Evaluating Christopher’s situation will help to understand his feelings about all that is happening to him. He obviously knows …show more content…
Protectiveness, a generous quality for those strong enough to handle the pressure and stress to protect whatever/whomever needs protecting. Thus, introducing problems that would not ordinarily be his/her own. In this case, Christopher felt the need to protect Emily from even herself. Though he did not succeed, he felt as if he did in a way, by letting her release her own feelings by herself at her own will. He is only guilty of loving her enough to try his hardest to help her and to carry out her wishes as if they were his own. Chris protected her at first by saying to the police that there had been a pact between them, but he only protected himself in the reality of the situation. To illustrate his protective tendencies, at one point, Chris says this, “I wasn’t going there to kill myself. I was going there to save her” (Piccoult 110). Compellingly, he was so distraught about the fact he let her die and he could do nothing about it angered him into seclusion. The outbursts Chris has throughout the book so far have been to save his name and to save the hassle for everyone to go to trial. Christopher is forthright in more ways than is obvious to the naked eye. However cogent he is about what happened that night, no one seems to believe his story. Through his struggles, he is blatant and truthful; at least to him he is, but the detective charging him …show more content…
With his scrupulous lawyer in toe, the prosecution has built an almost open and shut case against Christopher. Although, he does have some compelling evidence that points she killed herself, it is practically his word against her autopsy results. What makes me think that, is this quote, “’I don’t want to know if you did or didn’t,’ ‘I’m still going to defend you.’…’Tomorrow the prosecutor will move that you be held without bail’… ‘For as long as it takes’” (Piccoult 126). Chris’s lawyer, who by the tones of these separate quotes, is not too convinced by Chris’s story either, says this quote. As time goes on, I believe Chris will be able to get out of his depressive moods and start to believe that he can convince people that he did not commit this crime and get out of jail. Until then, he will be stuck with the wife-killer and the metal bunks, and cold showers. I also believe that his family will fight hard against the decision and do whatever they can to get him out. Unfortunately, Emily’s family is less convinced that their perfect child would want to take her own life without showing any signs. Therefore, creating much unneeded pressure and tension between the two once close families. Conclusively, Chris will be found guilty, his family will fight to set him free, while Emily’s parents battle to keep their daughter’s killer in