Chapter 7 Analysis
At the beginning of this chapter, Josie reviews her past a little more closely. She watches a video of her sixteenth birthday and remembers all the good times she had with the ones who were killed the day of the shooting. This is an important key to the story as you can see the good times Josie and Matt had. Matt Royston wasn't always the bad boyfriend, he just had trouble understanding Josie at times.
Lacy also realizes in this chapter how much damage her son has really done. When she is out at the grocery store a clerk demonstrates the grief he was going through, resulting in an embarrassed and regretful Lacy.
We understand how much hurt the town is going through at this point because of the actions of Ervin Peabody. He takes control and initiates a grief session for the whole town. When Jordan shows up at this event, majority of the town has a very strong hate for the lawyer defending Peter. Jordan's character, although hated by the public at this time, still has a calm and collected personality that remains unchanged.
This is the first day of class for all of Sterling High students. It embarks a new beginning for the victims, even though most students will never move on.
Patrick analyzes Peter's video game to learn that Peter not only designed this game, but he designed the day of the shooting. Peter had intended to shoot students at the Sterling High even though Peter's lawyer was trying to prove he was not in an appropriate disposition during this time.
Patrick also finds a note under Josie's yearbook photo that read,"LET LIVE"(198). This shows the audience Peter's intentions and the years where Josie stood up for her friend. This really signified a friendship.