Pat Conroy Character Analysis

If Pat Conroy is just one thing, it's tough. "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley is all about being tough and never giving up when facing adversity; Pat Conroy has faced adversity his entire life, but in the face of it all, he has never given up and shown why he truly is unconquerable. Throughout Pat Conroy's childhood, he was beaten and abused, and put through an incredibly difficult and violent lifestyle. He took both physical and verbal abuse from his father and was constantly told he was weak and he had no talent. Pat Conroy could have quit. He had every reason to give up the game of basketball and never look back, but he did not. He acted on the contrary. He pushed himself to his limits everyday at practice and he gave every last ounce of effort he had and left everything on the court. He had so much love for the game of basketball and he did not let his dad's insults faze him. As a child, Pat's dad told him, "You come to me when you can give me a game. The I'll kick the shit out of you" (Conroy 48). Pat's household was Hell. Everyday, he faced abuse and so did the rest of the family. Don Conroy was a dictator; he had complete control over the family and

When playing at the Citadel, that is all Pat deals with. At the start of his senior year, he had very little chance of playing, but he never quit and he worked his way back into a starting role. He states, "I had fought my way back from despair and self-loathing, from a coach who screamed, 'Don't shoot!' every time I touched the ball" (Conroy 326). Through it all, Pat remained unconquerable. When his coach screamed at him, he never quit. When his dad verbally abused him, he never showed weakness. "Finds, and shall find me unafraid" (Henley 12). He has no fear now, and will never show fear. That is exactly what Conroy did. As a child, he was unconquerable and he remained that way through his senior