“The Running Man”, written by Michael Gerard Bauer, is a narrative that focuses on themes such as judgement, dealing with the past and fear of the unknown. “The Running Man” is about a shy boy named Joseph who meets Tom Leyton; a man who’s past has come to define him. Both characters carry baggage; so do The Running Man and Mrs Mossop. These characters carry around baggage of guilt, regret, scarred memories and loss to the point of it affecting how they are as people. Tom Leyton has let his past become who he is because he doesn’t think he is worthy of anyone or their trust. After killing the boy in Vietnam, Tom Leyton lost all trust within himself. He has locked him self in his room for years, refusing to speak to anyone. This has caused his sister, Caroline, to suffer as well. The brother she knew “died in that war.”. Tom Leyton doesn’t trust that he won’t hurt anyone because of the things he has done, he believes he is a monster. Some may think he is scared of people as a result of the war, but in reality he is scared of himself and what he …show more content…
After telling his father, “Go on, go! I don’t want you to stay - I hate you and I hope you never come back!” he feels guilty but pushes the feeling away. When he finds out that his father may have died in a landslide in Bougainville, regret swallows him. Joseph said this because he hates the fact that his father is never home and likes work more than his own family. Previously he had been shown to become defensive when his father is mentioned. When Joseph finds out his father may have been one of the workers that died in the landslide he prays that he is alive. This is significant because he never prays; praying for his father means that somewhere deep inside he cares about him because he believes he could be a great father if he made the effort. Joseph regrets his last harsh words to his father, the regret causes him to rethink how he