After finishing the first two chapters of Runner, I was able to see it showed me what kind of person the main character was. Although Chance says that he doesn’t have an opinion, I think that he knows his own opinion on things in his heart. His point of view in chapter one was very interesting, especially when and how he made a comparison of “kids who hate their parents for being alcoholics” and “hating a wounded animal for being wounded.” It really introduces how the character Chance thinks and acts. I think Chance is a person who doesn’t care much about anything, and even says that it is kind of ok for his dad to be an alcoholic. This shows his home life.

On In the second chapter, Chance’s school life is introduced and more of his personality is shown. His personality to me is kind of like a lost dog on the streets trying to find food to eat but in the end, gets beat up by the other dogs. Also, Brent Miller, probably a possible antagonist of the story is also introduced. I find the second chapter very interesting and because it is something that probably happens in real life and would be a form of bullying that still happens today that many people may not realize. Also, someone who tried to help comes, which is good, but then Chance never did anything about telling a teacher or anyone to help himself. He may not care what happens in his life.

Hi Shira, great summary of the Runner! It’s impressive that you decided to analyze Chance’s character and character development; great use of specific parts of the text to help you in your analysis. The wounded animal quote is very interesting, in my opinion it seems like what Chance is trying to say is that alcoholic parents shouldn’t be hated for being in such a situation and should seek help/be helped instead. I also liked how your own opinions about the book shine through, and how you make your own inferences about Chance’s character.