Running Man Analytical Essay
How effectively does Bauer explore the resilience of the human spirit in this novel?
Despite experiencing trauma in our lives, we are all capable of bouncing back from adversity. Bauer effectively explores the resilience to do that through his characters in ‘The Running Man’ (Bauer, 2004); he paints their ability to rebound after traumatic events. Through the use of three-dimensional characters, each character is brought to life as the author provides us with their experiences. Bauer utilises a three-part novel structure that reveals the characters history and growth. It symbolically mirrors the life cycle of the silkworm, and the reader slowly unravels the mysteries behind Tom Leyton, Josef Davidson and Simon Jamieson’s lives. The resilience of the human spirit clearly resonates through the characters, thus revealing how we can live and grow in the face of trauma in our lives.
To demonstrate the elastic nature of the human spirit, Bauer fashions three-dimensional characters. Providing details such as their history, thoughts and opinions, and their impact on others, he paints a vibrant image of the character that essentially brings them to life. Mystery shrouds Tom Leyton from the beginning of the novel, describing him as a, “dangerous, sick man” (Bauer, 2004, p. 11). However, as the story unfolds it gradually forms a three-dimensional image of his traumatic life and the baggage he carries. Mortified by his rash actions and resenting the world that had caused him pain, Tom “hid so deeply inside himself” (Bauer, 2004, p. 272) that his family “thought [they] had lost him forever” (Bauer, 2004, p. 272). However, the young protagonist, Josef Davidson, is able to “[find] Tom” (Bauer, 2004, p. 272) and draws a portrait of the trauma burdened man, with which, “through [his] eyes, others… [are] able to see Tom as he truly was, a gentle and lovely man” (Bauer, 2004, p. 272). Tom responds to Josef’s friendship and is eventually able...