The novel Runner is a coming of age story written by Robert Newton, published in 2005. Charlie Feehan, a bright 16 year old boy living a low class life in the suburb of Richmond in 1919, battling his father’s recent passing and other troubles that come with poverty. He falls into working for an infamous criminal ‘Squizzy Taylor’ to earn money for his family, but will soon realise through his love for running, his true destiny, with the help of his newfound father Mr. Redmond. Newton uses ‘boots’ as a metaphor and each pair represents a different lifestyle that Charlie has. His father’s represent him stepping up and into the boots, he now carries a burden of responsibility and will take on a new role his father left behind. Squizzy Taylor’s
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Instead of running for enjoyment or work, he trains hard for the Ballarat Mile and with the help of Mr. Redmond he successfully wins the race, however he didn’t win without any effort, the amount of hours Charlie spent down at Yarra Park or at the beach is outstanding, all of the hard work he put in definitely paid off. Charlie certainly needed help throughout the lead up to his triumph, Mr. Redmond took him under his wing when he was in strife and together they pulled of a magnificent feat. Mr. Redmond started him out with boxing but he realised it wasn’t the thing for him and wanted to train for running, Mr. Redmond willingly gives him tips and advice that go a long way to leading him to victory. At the start of chapter 19 it is evident that Charlie is welcoming all the training he endures, Mr. Redmond has him down at StKilda Beach running in the sand to get him fitter, Charlie is burning but he finds a way to keep going, some of the people at the beach dial in to his running and despite all the shouting and encouragement that could easily sidetrack him, he keeps focus and with his determination he gets better with every length he runs. All Charlie’s training success comes down to the 4 laps he will run, and will win. The last lap is a killer, Charlie, the underdog pulls through and wins an epic race. “…two men picked me up and put me on their shoulders. I was King Charlie and this was my moment…After the victory lap, we headed towards the crowd gathered in front of the white marquees where I was presented with a silver cup and the fifty quid purse. The Ballarat Mile of 1919 had been run and won and my name, Charlie Feehan, was written in the books as the youngest runner ever to win. I continued shaking hands…Although I was enjoying the
Instead of running for enjoyment or work, he trains hard for the Ballarat Mile and with the help of Mr. Redmond he successfully wins the race, however he didn’t win without any effort, the amount of hours Charlie spent down at Yarra Park or at the beach is outstanding, all of the hard work he put in definitely paid off. Charlie certainly needed help throughout the lead up to his triumph, Mr. Redmond took him under his wing when he was in strife and together they pulled of a magnificent feat. Mr. Redmond started him out with boxing but he realised it wasn’t the thing for him and wanted to train for running, Mr. Redmond willingly gives him tips and advice that go a long way to leading him to victory. At the start of chapter 19 it is evident that Charlie is welcoming all the training he endures, Mr. Redmond has him down at StKilda Beach running in the sand to get him fitter, Charlie is burning but he finds a way to keep going, some of the people at the beach dial in to his running and despite all the shouting and encouragement that could easily sidetrack him, he keeps focus and with his determination he gets better with every length he runs. All Charlie’s training success comes down to the 4 laps he will run, and will win. The last lap is a killer, Charlie, the underdog pulls through and wins an epic race. “…two men picked me up and put me on their shoulders. I was King Charlie and this was my moment…After the victory lap, we headed towards the crowd gathered in front of the white marquees where I was presented with a silver cup and the fifty quid purse. The Ballarat Mile of 1919 had been run and won and my name, Charlie Feehan, was written in the books as the youngest runner ever to win. I continued shaking hands…Although I was enjoying the