Analyzing Robert Newton's 'Class Text Runner'

Throughout the novel, Charlie takes dangerous risks to help his family. Charlie started working for Squizzy Taylor after his father died. This was a risk considering that Charlie would be working for a criminal, Charlie continues working for Squizzy, until in Chapter 18, Charlie quits working for Squizzy due to him not caring that one of his runners, Norman got bashed up by Jimmy Barrow together with his gang after the liquor run. “...My days running for Squizzy Taylor were over, Now I was running for me.” (pg 170). For the events working for Squizzy Taylor, Charlie could’ve ended up in

The title of the monograph is “Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper,” and it was written by Paul E. Johnson. In this narrative, Paul E. Johnson, who is an educator of history at the University of South Carolina, has chosen to put together Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper’s story into the social history of the period, providing the peruser with an overview of the mid 1800's New England society, and a take at gander at an interesting, and remarkable, part of the historical collection of the United States. The author’s thesis shows an enveloping story line that Sam Patch had and formed an America in which things like preparing plant work and progressed enormous name were beginning to happen.

Charlie’s friendship with Jasper Jones, his parents, and witnessing the intolerance of Corrigan are the three biggest factors in Charlie's development from innocence to experience. Jasper Jones exposed him to fear and forced him to be brave and face his fears, the rampant intolerance in Corrigan, both racial and otherwise, exposed him to the injustices of the real world, and his relationship with his parents taught him to be diplomatic and control his

Therefore Squizzy enabled charlie to have a steady job and a regular source of income. Squizzy boosted Charlie’s confidence and self-importance. Charlie became stronger, smarter, more street smart and more confident than he was before. His boost in confidence was shown when charlie was collecting people’s debts for Squizzy Taylor after his successful encounter with Albert Fox, “ As he retreated into the shop, a wave of bravado rose up in my chest. I reached down and grabbed an apple and tossed it into the air. When it landed in my right hand, i lifted it up to my mouth and took a healthy bite. ‘Pleasure doing business with you, by the way these apples are bit on the green side.’(PG 104) Squizzy Taylor also provided a sense of safety for Charlie this was reflected when Squizzy threatened Mr Peacock after he harassed Ma. Squizzy unequivocally had a unmistakeable influence and compassion for Charlie, but it didn’t last long, but Nostrils’ constant advice and support stayed with Charlie throughout the

In the novel Charlie takes each person’s words into his heart and ponders about them thoughtfully. Nostrils Charlie’s best friend sticks by his side and is loyal at all times. While Nostrils is doing a job with Charlie, Nostrils gets beat up by Barlow and Nostrils tells Charlie to run which lands Nostrils in hospital. This teaches Charlie to be loyal and listen to what his friends tell him to do. Another incident is where Daisy Molony who is a prostitute tells Charlie to ‘use that money fer somethin’ good’, the filthy money that Squizzy Taylor gave to Charlie, for doing jobs for him. Mr Redmond is another strong character in Charlie’s life, teaching Charlie boxing, giving Charlie a gramophone and training him to run in the Ballarat mile. This shows Charlie, through an old man’s eyes, love and compassion. Mr Redmond dedicated a lot of time and energy for Charlie. All these people show Charlie a fragment of properties and qualities. From himself and spending time with his friends he learns how to nurture the feeling s of others but not the feelings one

The character of Charlie (being the protagonist) is who the readers are directly linked too, as we are taken on a journey with him through his actions, feeling, ideas and perspectives. His journey also includes his maturation/ coming of age as he does not escape from his issues and problems however he faces them head on. “I have no idea where we’re going. The further we move, the keener my apprehension grows. Still, there is something emboldening about being awake when the rest of the world is sleeping. Like I know something they don’t.” The passage has shifted from the description of late-night Corrigan to the thoughts/feeling of Charlie. He has been called to a mysterious place by a peculiar figure called Jasper Jones. As they travel further and further away from Corrigan the more Charlie’s worry and doubt comes to him about where they are travelling, what they might be doing and why did Japer choose him over everyone else? The readers are unaware of why Charlie is following Jasper blindly and so is Charlie. This is a stage in the narrative where Charlie’s progression as a character starts. The mood is created here from the events that are happening and from the readers attachment to the protagonist. The thoughts of the characters are reflected as the feeling from the readers. In some ways we already understand what might happen based on different reading from

Charlie’s friends even take advantage of how nice he is. They always make him the root of their jokes. When Charlie asks a barber shop owner to move his illegally parked car, the owner laughs at him and just throws him the keys to the car and tells him to move it himself. The whole town takes advantage of Charlie though, not only his friends. In the supermarket a woman asks to cut in front of him inline and then ends up having a cart full of groceries. This is Charlies breaking point. He starts tensing up, you can tell something is happening. All of a sudden he starts talking in a different voice, and finds vagaclean in the woman’s cart that cut in front of him. So to take his anger out on her he gets on the store microphone and announces she has vagaclean in her cart. We learn this new personalities name when he is drowning a young girl in the water fountain who disobeyed him earlier. When the girl says she is going to tell her father on him, he announces that he is Hank. After this change in personality he starts going

Charlie was a man that did not know how to stand up for himself. He allowed his peers to bully him, and treat him like he is worthless. Charlie thinks that if he allows people to laugh at him, and tease him, they will become his friend. He thinks “Its easy to make frends if you let

The reason as to why Charlie chose to run for a dangerous criminal, was to provide enough money that could “carry [Ma and Jack] out of the slums for good”. “So, for boys like me, when good fortune came knocking on your door, you had little choice but to grab it by the scruff of the neck and keep your trap firmly shut”. This significant quote demonstrates not only the fact that how crucial the opportunities are for boys like Charlie , but it is also evidence suggesting that Charlie was trapped in the midst of desperate circumstances. Nonetheless, Charlie’s decision to run for Squizzy was entirely selfless, given the fact that it got to the point where Charlie’s school were paid to send fake grades to Ma in order for Charlie to run and earn some “extra shillings or two” to support Ma and Jack, who were constantly in the freezing cold. Therefore, it is undeniable that Charlie’s decision on running for Squizzy Taylor was plainly a selfless act, due to the fact that Charlie was willing to give up education and commit himself to run for Squizzy, in order to get Ma and Jack out of the slums for

Paul E. Johnson’s 2004 book Sam Patch: The Famous Jumper uses a mill worker’s personal background to relay a series of socio-economic changes that occurred during the 1800’s. The Industrial Revolution, for many, was the beginning of something new. Due to the development and proliferation of technology, the economic gain from the Industrial Revolution was formidable. Unfortunately, the working class was forced to endure hazardous working conditions. For Sam Patch— a nineteenth century daredevil exhibitionist with nothing to his name— leaping from tall cliffs was a form of visual oppression designed to challenge the authority of well-respected political leaders of the upper class. The ideology that a simple man rose to fame by performing acts that, by many, was considered foolish, contradicted the beliefs of the upper class. This publication highlights several broad changes that occurred during this time period. Society’s perception of fame changed dramatically. Sam Patch went from being a simple mill worker to being a celebrity overnight. This work also highlights issues regarding domestic textile industries, including poor working conditions and child labor. Sam Patch began working at the age of seven; that was not entirely uncommon during this time period. Children were subjected to dust-filled rooms that were either “hot in the summer or cold in the winter.” Furthermore, this book also emphathizes the growing hostility between the Whig Party and the Jacksonian Party.

We get to know Charlie through letters he writes to the unnamed “friend”. Charlie has a lot of internal conflicts which he deals with every second of his life. He deals with his best friend’s death and his aunt’s death and his past with his aunt. These internal conflicts make him withdrawn. Moreover, Charlie has a need to tell someone about his life and thoughts, maybe to feel less lonely. In the very start of the story Charlie expresses: “I don’t want you to find me”, which emphasizes that he does not want a concrete person to help him, he only needs to let his thoughts out. Charlie is absolutely a dynamic and round character. He is an intelligent, observant high school freshman who hides his beautiful personality because of having dealt with a lot of trauma in his childhood. Through the relationships he develops over the course of the school year, Charlie suddenly comes out of his shell and grows as a person. For example, what he tells Sam who has also dealt with a troubled past: “Even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there”. However, it is not until the very end of the book that he uncovers the repressed memories of sexual abuse of his aunt that are at the foundation of his internal

Charlie was known to have the personality that was always bright and talkative. Charlie had the lowest skill level out of all his “friends” and he didn't understand how real friends should treat one another so he never thought anything of it. Charlie felt good about himself but he wanted to be smart and know what his friends and other people around him knew. He was ready to learn and he wasn’t scared because he pushed fear away; he just wanted to know what it was like to comprehend what was going on in the world. The

Charlie had no idea that the Lieutenant was planning a trip to New York, so he went anyways. Scared and worried that he had to go back to school to face a fear of getting expelled, he told the Lieutenant that he had a situation at school. See Charlie wasn 't like the rest of the students at his school. The other students had money, and Charlie was trying to get ahead to were he could be sucessful just like them at the school. Thats why he took the job, he didnt have money like the rest of his friends did. Lieutenant showed him different aspects of life before they left New York.

Secondly, Charlie’s relationship with people like Gimpy, Joe, Frank, etc. are becoming strained throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, Charlie states that he always looks forward to working in the bakery and seeing his friends Gimpy, Joe and Frank. “Their my frends and they really like me.”, Charlie declares in the story that when he came back from the

2. How does Charlie change through the course of the novel? How different is he from the person he is at the beginning of the novel to how he is at the end? Do you consider the novel’s ending to be tragic or inspiring? How so?