Staying Alive Character Analysis

A theme present throughout the novel was the ripple effect of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD - on the lives of those suffering and those who surround them. I thought this less talked about topic was brought to light in an effectively confronting way. A handful of chapters reflecting on Andy’s memories fighting in Afghanistan/Iraq showed what may be going on in someone’s mind that has fought in a war. “Shock waves ripple through metal, glass, and flesh. Bones crumble. Skin explodes. Nerves snap. Brains slosh and spill in dented tin skulls. Arteries spray like high pressure hoses, painting the world a bright, sad red.” Later, when talking to a young man, he tells him, “Killing people is easier than it should be.” “Staying alive is the hard part.” These lines show a deeper reality of war and what it’s like after returning, still haunted by the memories.

I believe that Andy’s refusal to get help and constant mood swings helped the author show his condition as an interpersonal experience rather than a solitary one.

This then opened the story line up and consequently made it easier for others to get involved and help. Whether this is a realistic demonstration of what those with PTSD think and how they act, I do not know. But I do think it makes the reader consider it more than they may have. It seems to me that Laurie Halse Anderson has aimed to draw attention to the topic but in a more discreet way, covering it with a storyline, characters and other issues. I understand that PTSD does influence families with members that have gone to war and that they may struggle. It is an issue in society and while not everyone will have a personal connection to it, I still believe it is important to be educated and have a basic understanding on the topic which is what, I think, this novel has helped

with.

This book was definitely a representation of what some teenagers may deal with and it discussed issues present in our society, but I personally found it to be clichéd, not very well rounded, with an underdeveloped plot and frustrating characters. There were multiple grammatical mistakes and sentences that did not make sense or did not run smoothly, whilst this was partly evidence of a lack of an experienced editor, it lowered my enjoyment throughout the entire novel. Even excusing the obvious mistakes, I still found the story line to be old and repetitive. Beginning with a ‘tough’ girl with troubles at home, then she meets a boy who helps her learn and grow as a person before they part ways and go to college, all whilst dealing with her father and getting him help. The final scene in which Hayley and Finn have one more night together is very clichéd, “And when we get scared or lonely or confused, we’ll pull out these memories and wrap them around us and they’ll make us feel safe and strong.” It seemed to me that, in the final chapter, Laurie Halse Anderson was attempting to polish off everything, tying together the ends to make out the world is a perfect place, and I felt this was not appropriate after the book had dealt with the dark topic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. To me this lack of originality, regular mistakes in the text and ill-matched ending made the novel a struggle to finish. Along with this I disliked the portrayal of the main character. I perceived her as moody, judgemental, self-centred, whiny and she seemed to believe she was the only one in the world with problems to deal with and that made her special. “I don’t wear makeup or heels, so I must be so different.” She labelled everyone she met into two categories, ‘zombies’ and ‘freaks,’ before even bothering to get to know them. I didn’t connect with the main character at all, and whilst problems she and her friends dealt with may be evident in others’ lives, I cannot see how anyone could relate to Hayley’s sloppy romance with Finn, her rude attitude and easy judgement of others. Whilst there were good parts and a couple of good messages, I feel these points really let the whole novel down and I would not recommend it to others.

Hayley’s relationship with Andy, her father, was very complex and possibly self-destructive. Whilst she loved him very much it was sometimes difficult to forgive him when he was irresponsible. I thought taking care of a man who is haunted by his own demons was a very big responsibility for a teenager and that I perhaps would not have been as mature and level headed as she was during times of stress. At a moment when her father was being difficult Hayley says “It’s hard to know how to play the game when the rules keep changing.” Then later “I patted his back. Waiting for the storm to pass.” This shows her patience and tolerance when faced with the unpredictability of her father. Her relationship with her father seemed precarious and a visual representation of this was shown in the design of the front cover. The image is of a girl standing at the edge of a crack in ice and I found this to be a good analogy of their relationship and its different points. I thought this because there was always a risk of disaster and distress, falling through the ice, when they were around each other and both of their emotions and actions were always on the edge. But the positives came through in the end, demonstrating signs of love and affection even in brutal times. People seem to need love and though in this novel their ride was bumpy, they had each other as safety nets, even if sometimes they were the ones pushing each other over the edge. Their love for each other was always there, despite them never saying so, and that’s often the way of it. Hayley took care of her father not just because she had to, but because she wanted to. When people care for one another they often help them to the height of their ability. Everyone has someone, they were each other’s someone.