Running In Life In Robert Newton's 'Runner'

RUNNING GAVE CHARLIE FEEHAN HIS BEST CHANCE TO SUCCEED IN LIFE.

In Robert Newton’s novel Runner, the only way Charlie Feehan can carry himself and his family out of poverty is to run. To him, running is everything. Set in 1919, Charlie is left without a father and has to support his family all by himself, putting on the very “long pants of adulthood”. Running leaves Charlie with the opportunity to work for the notorious crime lord Squizzy Taylor and win the Ballarat Mile. The wages he earns and the prize money he wins allows Charlie to take himself and his family out of poverty and into a new positive frame of mind for the future. Running exposed Charlie to positives and negatives although they changed his life and that of his family for the better.

Charlie was exposed to several things while running, although many were positive which also influenced his future and that of his family. Charlie’s unique running ability took him to Squizzy’s trials, in which he met Nostrils and was immediately “drawn to him”. While Charlie was running for Squizzy, he ran all the way to Fitzroy and met Alice, where “the first thing I saw was the freckles”. Training for the Ballarat Mile not only gave him the opportunity to become closer to his friendly neighbour, Mr Cecil Redmond, but also allowed Charlie to win the race and save his family. In the

Out-running Barlow for the “top job” makes Charlie a target who persistently encountered Barlow & his gang. One encounter became so bad that Nostrils became victim to an onslaught from Barlow and a metal pole and was rushed to the nearest hospital in a trolley by Charlie, who thinking the whole event was his fault, just made things worse. Charlie also witnessed a once trusted friend, Mr Peacock, “laying into” his mum. Charlie would wish that he could have prevented these atrocious events as he thought he was responsible for Nostrils’