A feeling or annoyance has begun to grow over me in response to the character of James Leer. Initially I was fooled into sympathising for him and the tales of his unfortunate family circumstances and upbringing. The revelation of the true nature of his history makes us lose all faith in the credibility of everything he states, and the discovery of his numerous thefts also make us dislike him more. It is obvious that even Grady Tripp is fed up with his lies, declaring saying that he merely wants to know “once and for all what the truth is about the little bastard”. In my opinion, Leer is fortunate to have someone like Tripp care so deeply for him and go to the extents that he does to protect him. Leer seems to show little gratitude for all that Tripp does for him.
I am intrigued by the mystery surrounding the true identity of Leer’s biological parents. I speculate that given Leer’s age and accounts from Tripp it is definitely a possibility that Amanda and Fred Leer are his true parents. I feel as though there is something important that is being kept from us at this stage in the story, something shockingly revealing about Leer and his past. Leer seems to be the pivotal character at this point in the novel, and despite the fact that I am not too favourable of him I feel that he will have a significant role later on in the novel.
There are also interesting developments between Grady and Hannah Green. Sexual tension exists between them, but given the age difference, which spans around two decades, I don’t see any serious relationship will result from this. Green acts flirtatiously around Grady, luring him to dance with her and waiting for him in his office. This leads me to believe that she desires Tripp more than he desires her. Tripp is much more interested in her opinions, on Wonder Boys specifically, than her as a person. Tripp seems to accept her advances but does not push for the relationship to advances. Green’s physical attraction seems to be the primary draw for Grady.
Grady and Green’s relationship is the opposite of the obscure relationship between Leer and Crabtree. Crabtree seems to almost molest Leer at every possible opportunity. I am disturbed by the nature of their relationship. Leer, given his youth, is at the stage of his life where he is sexually confused and Crabtree takes advantage of his confusion. Crabtree cares about Leer, as demonstrated when he immediately followed Grady to save Leer from his so-called parents, but whether or not the feelings for each other are mutual remains to be seen. Their relationship was so unexpected, I was not even aware of Leer’s sexual orientation towards men. I was under the impression that he desired Hannah Green up until the point of their public display of affection. Crabtree seems to have varying tastes when concerning individuals of interest, from young boys to transvestites. I draw a blank on the future of the relationship between Leer and Crabtree.
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