An Evaluation of David Haynes' Right By My Side #2

Audience: High School-Aged Students

An Evaluation of David Haynes' Novel, Right By My Side

Despite the disappointing ending in the novel entitled Right By My Side by David Haynes, Haynes presents a good and thorough example of how a young boy going through many changes in his life can react positively to these changes and gain positive rewards from them. Haynes is a good teacher for young high school students who may be going through some of the same situations and may need help dealing with these types of events. Haynes does this by showing a child dealing with the pain of losing a mother, seeing a friend abused and hurt, and dealing with the idea of gaining a new mother. The main character, Marshall Finney, provides a good role model for teens today.

At the beginning of the novel, Marshall discovers that the mother who has been there for him in the physical sense but hasn't always been there for him in the emotional sense has decided to leave her home and family because she doesn't enjoy the humdrums of everyday life. She leaves to go to Las Vegas and becomes a waitress. Marshall mocks his father, Sam, for waiting for her to come home. Marshall then sets a good example for others who may be considering violence for a way to handle their problems. He deals with this issue by denying the fact that she has actually left. He makes it look like it was just another fool idea of hers and that she'll come home at any minute: "Do you see me in here worrying? Hell, no. Don't give it another thought…She'll be sitting there on the couch tomorrow just like every other day.” (9) He is hurt by Rose but not ready to admit that fact to himself. He stores all the reminders of his mother in old encyclopedias on a shelf. His mother had ordered them for Marshall to advance in school. "Use them," she orders, her finger pointed. "Use them." "I'm using them now.” (125) Denying the fact that his mother is really gone and hiding all the evidence that she exists isn't the healthiest form of dealing with his grief, but it does set a certain example that proves that there are better ways of dealing with pain than getting a gun and shooting your fellow classmates, as seen in the recent events in Littleton, Colorado.

Another example of an excellent way Haynes uses his characters to react in a positive way is when Marshall learns of the abuse that has occurred in Todd's family. Haynes cleverly weaves several examples of what someone reading his novel could do if they needed to contact an authority about someone being abused. First, once Marshall learns that Todd is being abused, he decides to contact someone else who is very close to Todd, Ms. O'Hare, their English teacher. O'Hare responds with, "This is very personal stuff, Marshall . . . We have to trust him. He'll let us know if and when he needs us." (140) Marshall knew that he couldn't stand by and let his good friend be beaten every day, so he decides to tell Sam. Sam then talks to Todd's parents. Sam volunteers to have Todd come and live with them, and Todd accepts. This is wonderful portrayal of what can happen when a young adult sees a problem and tries to help make a difference.

The last idea that Haynes provides that shows a healthy way to deal with changes is when Sam starts dating a new gal, Gayle. Even though Marshall didn't like his real mother, Rose, he didn't necessarily want a new mother either. When Gayle waltzes in trying to get Marshall to open up to her, he just couldn't stop her from entering in to his life: "Damn her, she pried right in. She pats my arm and says, ‘Well, maybe sometimes it is that easy.’ She does that in a way that is surprising and calming. For once I sit still and know that there is nothing I need to say." (124) The evolution of a friendship between Marshall and Gayle is both wonderful and educational. Many young teens today have to deal with the idea of a new parent. With divorce resulting in one half of all marriages, roughly fifty percent of adolescents will probably have to deal with this issue at one time or another. Right By My Side shows how Marshall is stand-offish in the beginning with Gayle, but eventually comes to terms with the fact that Gayle was not trying to replace Rose, but rather that she wanted to be Marshall's friend. Marshall finally accepts this, and he and Gayle have a spectacular relationship. This idea is wonderful for high schoolers to see.

The ideas of Marshall losing a mother, seeing his friend, Todd, experience abuse, and Gayle becoming a friend were all ideas that were represented well in the book, Right By My Side by David Haynes. By presenting these ideas, Haynes also incorporated into these lessons positive ways to handle them for high-school-aged adolescents. These ideas, therefore, led me to enjoy the book. Even though the disappointing ending may anger some students, the overall impression that they will get from reading this is one that if you handle a situation well, the rewards are plentiful, both for Marshall and for application in young adolescents' lives.

(3.0 pages / Times New Roman 12 point font)