The novel ‘The Running Man’ written by Michael Geared Bauer emphasizes the concept that people have baggage. The main characters exhibited in the novel ‘Tom Leyton, Mrs. Mossop and Simon Davidson’ gradually reveal their baggage throughout the course of the novel. At the beginning of the narrative all three of the characters were individually negatively labeled by the citizens of the neighborhood. However by the end of the narrative we discover who the characters truly are and revel their personalities that have been affected by the baggage they carry. Tom Leyton is a prominent example of the concept that people have baggage and sometimes it becomes who they are. Tom had a horrible experience in Vietnam resulting in severe personality changes upon returning. Due to Tom Leytons traumatic experience in Vietnam he lives his life hidden away from the world. During the novel we are shown evidence that Tom Leyton was not always a horrible old man, he was once a friendly faced young man with eyes busting with life ‘joseph searched for Tom Leyton in the crinkled joy of his eyes and the …show more content…
Not unlike Tom Leyton, Simon Davidson has also experienced trauma. Simon Jamieson’s family perished in a house fire. This has caused Simon significant mental health issues, for example Simon appears to be experiencing anxiety as he runs to his house every day in fear that he must save his family from perishing in the fire, this despite knowing that his family are no longer alive. Simon Davidson’s mental health illnesses are substantial to the horrific past that he has experienced. Simon Jamieson was once a ‘normal’ man with a family, due to his baggage he is now homeless and is judged as the ‘Running Man’ by the people living in his neighborhood. Mrs. Mossop is one of the individuals living in the neighborhood who passes judgment toward