Going Beyond Pain in Chris Crutcher's Stotan

1206 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Team work and its importance

Going Beyond Pain in Chris Crutcher's Stotan

High school buddies and members of the swim team Walker, Nortie, Lion and Jeff accept the challenge to participate in Stotan week, a week of rigorous swim training that pushes them beyond physical pain and tests their moral fiber, changing their lives forever. In the novel Stotan by Chris Crutcher a team of teenagers and best friends brace themselves for what’s going to be the hardest week of their lives mentally, physically, and emotionally. A “Stotan” is a cross between a stoic and a Spartan. Through this time of hardship they learn about friendships, relationships, dealing with cancer, racism, and physical abuse. Each of the four best friends learn more and more about each other and help each other when they need help. They come together as a group, team, and family. Each of them have a tremendous conflict that can not be resolved with just one persons help. They all help each other repair the emotional scars if one of them were suffering. They all have one thing in common which was that they all want to be the best they can be and being so determined. In Stotan By Chris Crutcher four boys Walker, Jeff, Nortie, and Lion experience a time of emotional and physical turmoil with the only way to overcome these barriers is to come together as a team with determination in mind.

One of the team mates with a conflict that needed to be resolved is Lion. Lion lives alone in a tiny apartment with a hot plate. He gets lonely sometimes and the only things that stop him from getting depressed are swimming and being with his best friends Walker, Jeff, and Nortie. They never talk about Lion’s life but he knows that they life him for who he is not becau...

... middle of paper ...

...cause of this amazing unity of the team Nortie is still alive.

In Stotan By Chris Crutcher four boys Walker, Jeff, Nortie, and Lion experience a time of emotional and physical turmoil with the only way to overcome these barriers is to come together as a team with determination in mind. Lion was suffering from depression, Jeff was dying, Nortie was suffering mentally, and walker was suffering emotionally but as a team they all came together and resolved eatch others problems. The unity the team had was unbelievable and helped save a life and helped solve problems. Determination also helped the high school seniors by not letting them slip or fall climbing the mountain of success. The four team members got through a week of grueling pain mentally and physically by coming together as a team with determination in mind to push themselves to maximum.

Show More
Related

  • Book Report: Hideout by Gordon Korman

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main characters in this story are 6 friends from Cedarville Middle School, a crooked businessman, and a Doberman Pincher. Griffin Bing is, “The Man With The Plan,” and he organizes the missions this group of friends get involved in. Ben Slovak is Griffins best friend and he has a ferret that goes everywhere with him to help him with his narcolepsy or sleep disorder. Pitch Benson is an expert at mountain climbing and she helps them get into impossible places. Melissa Dukakis is a computer expert which comes in handy for eves dropping. Logan Kellerman is an actor and he is good at distracting people. Savannah Drysdale is an animal whisperer which has helped them get past guard dogs. S. Wendell Palomino or, “Swindle” is a crooked businessman who has caused these friends a lot of problems. Luthor is a huge temperamental Doberman who be...

    Read More

  • Grit In Daniel James Brown's The Boys In The Boat

    140 Words  | 1 Pages

    A prevailing theme that is present in The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown is the idea of grit. Grit is the mental toughness and firmness of mind and spirit; it is also the courage and resolve of character. The theme of grit evolves and unfolds throughout the entirety of the book. From the beginning, Joe has had to persevere through rough child hood, barely scraping by and each day strengthening himself to be more self-reliant. During school, Joe was required to change himself in order to better himself and the team. He was driven to be the best that he could; and maybe one day, he could finally fill the void left by his father. Whether it be his childhood, college, or the Berlin games, Joe had to fight through and toughen his mind

    Read More

  • Dont Care High - Summary

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    This novel is based in various High Schools in New York City. One of the main characters Paul, just moved to New York from Saskatoon, Alberta. This novel takes place in the mid 1980’s. At this high school, Don Carey High, none of the students or teachers care about anything that goes on within the school. They have no team spirit at all, there are no teams or clubs because no one shows interest.

    Read More

  • Stand By Me (movie Review For Small Group Com)

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...es your life and everyone around you. No matter what anyone says, you are a lot different after your life (or another’s) has been placed in the hands of others. The boys not only matured a lot, but leadership roles emerged. It became obvious that Gordie was a leader in the group less than halfway through. And as groups tend to do, they relied on his leadership more and more until the end. The group was faced with the additional challenge of dealing with difficult group members. But the group discovered the concept of synergy when they found if they stuck together and used teamwork, they are a lot stronger unified than individually.

    Read More

  • Perseverance And Consequences In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, follows a horrific part of the life of a boy named Ponyboy Curtis. He is what you might call a Greaser, and has had a rough go at it in his life compared to others. It is difficult, but Ponyboy somehow manages to be himself and has the tenacity to stick through it all. He is in a gang with his friends and family and they are loyal to one another no matter what. A rival gang from the Socs crowd, a richer, more refined group, send him and his pals into a whirlwind of trouble and hurt. This book shows on multiple occasions that perseverance is necessary to get through life .

    Read More

  • The Other Wes Moore Substance Abuse

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyday, there are teens that are putting themselves in unbearable situations. Wether if it is being influenced by others to do drugs or alcohol, both causes are very dangerous. Just as one thinks he is ok, standing away from those situations, is the time when danger will strike, and there will be just a few chances to get out. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore is written about two boys with the same name growing up in similar situations. Both grow up to be surrounded by crime and substance abuse, and both do in fact have several chances to escape those holdbacks. Crime and substance abuse was common because of the locations that both Wes's grew up, and that was ghettos. In the book, The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, the author explores the

    Read More

  • The Goonies

    4567 Words  | 10 Pages

    ...group as they face more and more trials. Their small group triumphantly solved an important problem that affected each individual. As a group, they were much more suited to outwit "One-eyed" Willy’s booby traps, to outrun the underhanded Fratelli family, and to out do the rich people of the town by saving their neighborhood.

    Read More

  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    Junior sometimes had to go to bed hungry, but that wasn’t the worst thing about being in poverty. He made a diary entry stating, “Poverty= empty refrigerator+empty stomach. And sure sometimes my family misses a meal…and hey, in a weird way, being hungry makes food taste better (8).” This really puts the diary reader in his shoes about how many times he had to go without food and starve while trying to go to sleep, simply because his family couldn’t afford it. But to Junior, being hungry wasn’t necessarily that bad. What he felt was the worst thing about his poverty was that there was no money to save his beloved animal Oscar. Oscar became really ill and Junior wanted to take the animal to the doctor, but the family couldn’t afford it. When it came down to it, his father had to put the dog out of misery, and decided to shoot him. Visualizing someone having to shoot your best animal friend is heart wrenching. Most people have been in Juniors shoes where they have a sick animal, however they never imagine having to shoot it. This comparison of being hungry and losing an animal, shows Junior’s great strength at a young age about going through poverty, and sometimes even hope...

    Read More

  • Use of Point of View, Setting and Symbolism in The Swimmer, by John Cheever

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Swimmer,” a short fiction by John Cheever, presents a theme to the reader about the unavoidable changes of life. The story focuses on the round character by the name of Neddy Merrill who is in extreme denial about the reality of his life. He has lost his youth, wealth, and family yet only at the end of the story does he develop the most by experiencing a glimpse of realization on all that he has indeed lost. In the short story “The Swimmer,” John Cheever uses point of view, setting and symbolism to show the value of true relationships and the moments of life that are taken for granted.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative-Bruce Carroll's Journey

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Looking through the thick pines, Apollo stops and points his tail. His mouth is bearing the ivory-like jaws ready to greet the threat. The stench of death is blowing through the wind. Bruce looks around. First he spots dead carcasses everywhere, then through an opening in the trees all he can see is the gigantic head of a mountain lion mouth dripping with crimson droplets from its fresh kill. The big cat backs away, snapping every branch on the way out. With the adrenaline racing through his veins, Bruce charges through the limbs raising his knife. He gets to where he last saw the beast and then he sees nothing. Not a single track. He kneels down to examine the lions fresh kill. It was a… just then the sensation of knives jabbing into Bruce’s back awakens him from his confused state. The razor sharp claws sink deep into his flesh. Bruce lets out a blood curdling yell as the pads of the enormous feet slide down his back. The only thing Apollo could do to save Bruce is snap at the legs of the mountain lion. As the weight of the giant cat pushing down on Bruce’s back, his legs collapse. The cracking of bone sends shivers up Bruce’s Spine. As he lays there in pain as motionless as can be, he can hear the fight between the cat and Apollo. Bruce cannot move to help Apollo. The snarls and growls rage on for several

    Read More

  • Jack Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    The boys live a new life without adults and social norms. Roles in their makeshift society have been carried out but Jack’s self-imposed responsibility only aims to fulfill his personal agenda. Jack’s fervent character is aggressiveness masquerading as passion. This destructive behavior sends Jack to a faster decline to savagery in relation to his peers.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Foil In Tangerine

    448 Words  | 1 Pages

    Both younger brothers feel the weight of their older brothers’ legacies. Joey feels pressured to live up to Mike’s (modest) football success after his death. He even quits the soccer team and plans to play high school football. He wants to be like his brother. Paul also grapples with his older brother’s legacy. In this case, however, he wants athletic success in a different sport. Given that Erik’s football success completely monopolizes his parents’ lives, Paul struggles to make a name for himself in soccer. He wants his parents to treat him like they treat Erik, and he wants the respect that his soccer success

    Read More

  • Sports Narrative - Football Injury

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    The nerves are raging, mainly in his stomach as the butterflies flutter till no end. "Is everything ok? Will everything go as planned?" He couldn't stop thinking about what might happen. Images were racing wild as he thought about his teammates going to battle without him. He couldn't comprehend why he had to let them handle it on their own. He has played with them since they were in eighth grade, and when they need him the most, all he can do is sit and cheer. He hates this feeling of helplessness, but at the same time he knows he has to do what little he can do, well.

    Read More

  • Difference Between Progressivism And Existentialism

    1641 Words  | 4 Pages

    To be a teacher it is imperative to have philosophies on teaching; why you want to teach, how you want to teach, and what you want to teach. There are six main philosophies of education; essentialism, behaviorism, progressivism, existentialism, perennialism, and reconstructionism. My two strongest philosophies are progressivism and existentialism. Progressivism in short is the philosophy where the student utilizes their ability to access knowledge for themselves with a method they have discovered on their own instead of simply being told answers. This creates deeper thinking. Existentialism is the philosophy that the student decides how and what they will learn, they also decide what they think to be true and false. This creates

    Read More

  • My Philosophy of Teaching

    503 Words  | 2 Pages

    When thinking of a philosophy of teaching, four major issues need to be considered. Those issues are one’s views on education, the role of the teacher, teaching and learning, and on the children. This is something that someone entering the teaching profession needs to give serious thought to and realize the importance that this will hold in the future. The following essay will express my philosophy of teaching.

    Read More

More about Going Beyond Pain in Chris Crutcher's Stotan

Open Document