Character Analysis Of Buddy Boyle In Gentlehands By Marijane Meaker

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In the novel Gentlehands, by Marijane Meaker the protagonist, Buddy Boyle is depicted as a typical 16-year-old. Buddy comes from a working class family and holds a job at the local soda shop. During the summer he reconnects with his rich, reclusive grandfather behind his parent's backs. In addition, he finds summer love with a socialite Skye Pennington, who his parents disapprove of. Over the course of the novel Buddy transforms from an insecure teen to someone who is beginning to see the world for what it really is. This is as a result of his and Sykes intensifying relationship and the traumatic events that took place with his grandfather.
In the early parts of the novel the protagonist, Buddy Boyle, is characterized as an insecure teenager. …show more content…

He is able to see the important things in the life. He has lost his materialistic ideology and as a result is able to focus on moving on from the traumatic events that took place this past summer. In addition, he is able to see the beauty of the world for what it is. For example, earlier in the text Skye gifts a cashmere sweater to Buddy. This sweater was a representation of Skye and everything she stands for. Skye is a materialistic character who has not yet realized the pure values of life. Buddy thinks, “I thought of picking up the sweater to take with me, but I didn’t…” (201). This internal conflict of Buddy’s shows the loss of his materialistic ways. Buddy knowingly left a sweater that was more expensive than all of his sweaters combined. Earlier in the text, he would have taken the sweater in an instant due to his insecurities of being poor. But after going through many life changing events he is able to see what is truly important. Buddy thinks, “...the deep green ocean waters with the whitecaps flecked through them and the gulls sweeping down with the late-afternoon sun making their wings look pink and silver.” (201). Although Buddy has seen this view thousands of times this is the first time he is able to fully appreciate for all its glory. He begins to see the beauty in things that you do not need to pay for. Buddy is seeing and appreciating the extraordinary natural beauty of the world is parallel to