Chapter n°6, 7 & 8 - the trip to Hastings

Hey guys,

today's post will contain a few bullet points about chapter 6, but it's mostly about chapter 7 and 8 and the task:
"Argue whether or not Sam has developed as a character during the trip to Hastings."

So let's start:

Chapter 6:
- Sam made kind of a time travel
- he's living with Alicia and Roof (their baby) at Alicia's house
- he doesn't know whether it's just a dream or not

"(...) whether that was it, now, whether my old life was over (...)" (p.87, ll.23f)

Chapter 7:

At first Sam talks about a family called the "Parrs". This family lives in Hastings - which is the only place Sam thinks about to run away to.

"I was positive that Alicia was pregnant, and I knew I didn't want to be a father." (p.100, ll.21f)

The quote shows why Sam plans to run away.
In the beginning Sam seems to be glad because his plan is working:

"(...) I had come to Hastings to escape my troubles (...). And as long as I didn't turn on my mobile (...) my troubles would stay in London." (p.102, 23f)

In Hastings he tries to find a job to earn some money, but nobody can offer him one. In the evening he starts looking for a place to stay and finds a bed and breakfast which looks cheap and which smells of fish very much. While he's waiting at the reception, an old man calls out:

"Don't just stand there, young lady. Open the door for me." (p.105, l.23)

The man is called Mr Brady and offers Sam a job. Mr Brady's angry and rude and he commands Sam to help him (e.g. getting down the stairs), but Sam is glad to get some money so he does what Mr Brady wants him to do.

Sam rents a room in the bed and breakfast which costs exactly the amont of money Mr Brady pays him.

Chapter 8:

Sam goes to bed and falls asleep, but at four o'clock in the morning Mr Brady wakes him up. He wants Sam to get him his remote control which fell down the side of the bed.

"This is what you're being paid for. (...) I don't sleep, so you don't sleep." (p.112, ll.26+28)

is Mr Brady's argument for Sam helping him, so Sam reaches down under Mr Brady's bed to get the remote control. He's afraid of the things he could feel or touch under there and it brings him to the decision to go home again.

"(...) Could having a baby be any worse than this? And the answer I gave myself was, No it could not." (p.113, ll.25-27)

"I was going back home to marry Alicia and look after Roof, and I was never going to think about running away again." (p.114, ll.22-24)

Sam returns home to his mum crying and talking to policemen. She's really mad at Sam because he ran away without telling anybody. His mum is worried about her son and wants to know the reason for him freaking out. He answers:

"I don't know. A lot of stuff. Splitting up with Alicia. School. You and Dad." (p.118, ll.31f)

This makes his mum think about going to family counselling. The actual reason why Sam ran away is unknown for her.

In the end of chapter 8 Sam hides in front of Alicia's house because he hopes seeing something which could show him whether Alicia is pregnant or not. Because his plan doesn't work, he drives home again.

Character development?

On the one hand I think Sam kind of developed as a character because he realized that he has to take the responsibility for the things that happened. For the things he did. He learned that running away is no option, but that he has to stay and live with the new situation.
He also compares the situation in Hastings to the one he ran away from in London and finds out that the one in London isn't as bad as he thought. He realizes that it could be worse than having a pregnant girlfriend. Sam notices that his life isn't bad and that he was wrong in thinking he has to run away and to escape everything.

On the other hand I don't think there's a development. Sam went to a city which isn't unknown for him. He visited this city years ago and knows all the places where he tried to find a job or looked for a place to stay.

Sam tried to run away from his troubles, but it went wrong. I don't know whether there's a real development. He "tried something out" and because it didn't work he goes back home. Sam learned that he has to take responsibility and that his life isn't bad, but I'm not sure about a real development.

Maybe you want to let me know your opinion on whether Sam developed as a character or not.

I'm very interested how the story's going on.
Is Sam's family really going to family counselling? Is Sam's dad joining them? What are the results of the pregnancy test? How is Alicia going to tell Sam?

We'll find out :)

Maike