Chapter 6 Analysis
A flashback of kindergarten introduces us to a main bully in the novel, Drew Girard. The superman themed lunch box Peter owned was later destroyed by spilled milk. The cafeteria where Peter is humiliated in is a key setting in the novel. Picoult chooses the lunch cafeteria to be a stage of humiliation because every student eye is watching Peter's actions, and the crowd by stands. A teacher on lunch duty witnesses the whole incident and orders the two boys to report to the principles office. This shows how life can be unfair sometimes. Picoult tries to emphasize that bullying does occur in schools and many of the faculty and students are unsure how to handle situations similar to these.
The mention of the September 11, 2001 crashing of the World Trade Centers, allows us to remember that day more vividly. We are taken through the experience of two young children and the terror they endured during this time. This is another example of bullying that personally, I think Picoult alluded to this incident to emphasize Peter's situations. Bullying is not just found in schools, it is through out the world and can be projected in many forms, including terrorism.
While Peter is watching his own soccer game, his mother starts to wonder why her son never gets played. This is another example in the novel of bullying. A specific type of bullying, discrimination. Peter's coach only sits him on the bench because of his lack of athletic ability. Picoult tries to show the audience how this can be a problem in many high school sports. Peter obviously can't get any better without practice, and when he doesn't practice in a game, it lowers his confidence. Sitting a player on a bench can be traumatizing and can affect your whole season. Peter begins to care less about soccer because he is not getting played, and then begins to care less about life. Soccer is just another situation where Peter can be bullied.
We learn more about Joey Houghton in this chapter and understand he was always the more impressive son. Peter could even tell you that. His whole life he was always looked down upon. This juxtaposition of Joey, the perfect child, to Peter, the troubled child, makes Peter's situation seem worse. Picoult always compares the two to show one extreme from another.
Peter's first hunting experience is shared in this chapter. I think he allows the deer to escape because they never hurt Peter. He doesn't want to shoot the deer, so he purposely shoots off the target. I think Peter believes what goes around, comes around. The deer were innocent in Peter's life, whereas the students at Sterling High weren't.