Mike Chambers: A One Time Seen Hero and Conscience In life, one might come across a huge mistake, for example, lying about something big and then getting caught, it is unlikely they are to repeat it, as it made and will continue to make a big impact on their life. Mike Chambers from the young adult fiction book That was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton, was that once in a lifetime mistake that taught a big lesson, constantly coming up in the main character’s thoughts and decisions. Mike Chambers may have been seen in the story once, but has greatly affected the actions made, the developments of the characters and the themes of That was Then, This is Now, as much as the main characters in the book. Firstly, many of S.E. Hinton’s books, especially …show more content…
To put in other words, Bryon’s take. Mike’s words truly did affect Bryon, as his story came into mind many times for Bryon. Over time, Bryon did not want revenge on the people who did him wrong, like Mike. He no longer thinks about the people who did the wrong thing, but about the things that will affect him. Furthermore, Mark’s opinion. Mike’s words did not truly affect Mark, but he still took offence. He wanted to take revenge on the Shepards, but then got mad at Bryon for stopping him. After Charlie’s death, he was not too worried about Charlie, but more about the Texans. Additionally, the people who beat Mike up’s thoughts. As human nature, the girl that Mike originally helped will feel guilty for her actions / words. The men who also beat Mike up will eventually find out as well, and be impacted by what they did as well. Next time something like this happens, Mike’s story will definitely come into play when they decide on their actions. Now, because of Mike’s suffering, he managed to change the action and the characters in That was Then, This is Now, so it is guaranteed that the theme will also develop alongside Mike’s words and importance, even if the main characters have a big …show more content…
But if Mike had never had the fate he had, the themes could have been much different. For this reason, the theme “coming of age” was created. Mark and Bryon would not have started disagreeing in the first place. They would never have ruined their amazing relationship. They did not have to do bad things to each other, like Bryon calling the cops on Mark. Furthermore, the theme “love” was also created. As said in paragraph two, the only reason Bryon met Cathy, was because he did not want to see Mike. He would not have felt bad for Angela, and would have gone along with Mark’s revenge plan. He never would have taken the fault for Mark, but just would have fought back. Additionally, the theme “fighting back” was introduced. Bryon would have never said no to getting back at the Shepards. Bryon would not have thought about the “what if’s” for Charlie’s death. Mark and Bryon would have gotten so much more time together, as they always fought together. Nevertheless, because of Mike’s story influencing the overall themes, it is simple to say That was Then, This is Now was created, and it simply would not be the same with just