Anger and Prejudice

One is not healthy for a friendship or a relationship. The other could resort to racial slander in some way. One is healthy the other is wrong. They both can destroy a relationship. What is “they”? “They” are anger and prejudice, and with them relationships will never work out. In the novel, Ironman by Chris Crutcher, anger and prejudice are the most important subjects talked about and were shown to be bad for healthy relationships.

Prejudice and anger are key conflicts in the book Ironman. These conflicts are internal and external. Some external conflicts are Bo and his father. Another external conflict is Bo and Ian Wyrack. One internal conflict is Bo’s anger and prejudice. Bo’s anger is prominent in the beginning of the book. “Does your wife call you an asshole” (pg.10). That quote shows his anger towards Mr. Redmond and it also a little bit of Bo’s attitude. A good example of Bo being prejudice is when he was talking to Larry King in his journal. He said “Mr. Nak and his Murderous thugs” (pg.24). Later on Bo becomes friends with the anger management group. Bo was being bias. One of the external conflicts in this story is Bo and his relationship with his dad. Bo and his father relationship start off bad when Bo slammed the door when he was a kid. “On the tenth time, I swung the door as wide as a crocodiles mouth and slammed it as hard as I could” (pg. 28). As Bo grew older and graduated high school he wanted to seek help for him and his dad. Bo’s dad was being cruel to Bo when his dad left him in his room during Christmas because of what Bo did with the door. The other external conflict was Bo’s relationship with Wyrack. Ian Wyrack is mad at Bo because Bo was beating him in swim practice. That ticked off Ian so much that he actually physically harmed Bo. “See this hand” He slaps him “this hand have better touch that wall before yours does.”(pg.57). Ian Wyrack has some issues he needs to deal with. Bo definitely needs to stay away from Ian before the race. Overall conflict of anger and prejudice causes relationships to unravel.

Conflict exemplifies how anger and prejudice is bad for a relationship. The relationships shown were in first and third person point of view. Chris Crutcher used first person point of view so that the reader could get an in depth look of anger and prejudice in the relationship. A good

example of first person point of view is “the Ex gay basher” (pg.145). Bo used that quote at the end of a letter to Larry King. In the letter Bo talked about his relationship with Mr. Serbousek, who was a homosexual, and how he was ok about Mr. Serbousek being gay. He was ok about it after he talked to Mr. Nak. In third person Chris Crutcher use it to show the reactions of the conflicts in the story. “Bo doesn’t answer, glancing past Ian to determine the state of mind of the approaching swimmers, obscured in predrawn darkness.”(pg.56-57). Bo, in this situation, wasn’t sure how the swimmers would react to Ian Wyracks confrontation to Bo about Bo making it look like that Ian was “doggin” in practice. It turns out the swimmers walking by told Wyrack to leave him alone. Ian of course said “up yours…..” to the swimmers. The quote proves that there are different reactions in this book. In first person point of view you felt what Bo felt about his anger and prejudice. Third person was more observant toward the issue of anger and prejudice.

In point if view we were introduced to the characters and there different characteristics. The book shared many issues that characterized the characters, but Bo’s father and himself were most commonly characterized by anger and prejudice. Bo and Ian Wyrack have a little talk before swim practice. Bo tried to walk away but Ian grabs him. Bo’s anger