Brady O’Banion
Mr. Hemesath
English 9
2 March 2023
The DH, John Feinstein, 293 In the sports fiction book The DH, by John Feinstein, the main character is a freshman in high school named Alex Myers. He is a phenomenal athlete however, he has a lot going on in his life. He is currently in baseball season and Alex plays outfield and he pitches. He is feeling good at the start of the season but his thoughts quickly change as he begins to realize that one of his closest friends who just came off a steroid suspension is back in baseball and a completely new person. His friend is named Matt and he is also a solid athlete; however, nobody has ever seen him play baseball because his dad didn’t let him. He turns out to be one of the best high school
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Alex changes throughout the story because at the start he is a jealous person and he doesn’t give his girlfriend Christine much freedom to do what she wants. This side of Alex changes though as he starts to realize that he has to trust Christine more and give her some more freedom. For example, this is shown when Alex starts to realize that he cannot always say the first thing that comes to mind. The text states, “Alex spent a large chunk of the night dancing with Christine, losing her just once when he went to get drinks and found her dancing naturally with Matt. Even that didn’t really bother him” (Feinstein 280). This quote reveals how Alex changes because instead of being all jealous and going to confront Christine (like he did earlier) he forgot about it and let it go. Also, it shows how he is becoming smarter and he is thinking more about the effects of what he says will have on him. He is starting to mature and realize that it is okay for Christine to talk with Matt. Some minor characters that have important spots in the book are Christine and Matt. Matt is important because he is in the center and the cause of one of the major conflicts of the story. He is the superstar baseball player that intentionally throws a baseball at an opposing player’s head resulting in serious injuries. Christine is important because …show more content…
For example, this theme is shown when Alex looks out for Matt even after Matt has been a complete jerk to him. The text claims, ‘The only income we have right now is what she makes teaching kindergarten. We can’t afford a lawyer.’ The text then goes on to say, “Alex was in a state of semishock. Then it occurred to him that he knew a lawyer…” (Feinstein 164). This quote conveys the theme because it shows Alex helping Matt even after Matt has been selfish and arrogant all baseball season. It shows how Alex chose to look out for Matt even though he didn’t deserve it. Also, it reveals how important the theme is to the rest of the story because without Alex acting like this, the theme would have never been resolved. Therefore, the theme, look out for people even if they do not look out for others is displayed multiple times throughout the entire