Bystander Analysis

James Preller’s Bystander is a teen adult novel that explores school bullying, audacity and pretense. Bystander was set in 2009 in the middle school to discuss bullying and the factors that enabled it. The novel's protagonist is Eric Hayes, and the antagonist is Griffin Connelly, a two-faced bully who capitalizes on his allure and prettiness to mistreat weaker students and rob them of whatever he desires to keep as a souvenir.

The novel commences with the arrival of Eric Hayes, a 13-year-old boy in the new middle school. Eric quickly learns that all students fear Griffin Connelly because he is tough, rough, intolerant and authoritarian. However, at first, Eric refuses to accept that Griffin is a bully because he looks gorgeous, innocent, alluring and humane. After a few days in school, Eric discovers that Griffin is a hyena in sheep's clothing. Griffin beats any student who tries to oppose him. For instance, David Hallenback is one of the victims of Griffin's bullying. Hallenback fears Griffins, and whenever he tries to cross paths with him, he gets a thorough beating. The next victim in the queue is Eric, who is beaten mercilessly by Griffins and his friend Cody in the pets’ cemetery after he calls him a weasel.

The other interesting topic in the novel is pretense. Griffin is a smart character who dupes his victims to believe he is harmless. For instance, When Griffin encourages Eric to help an older woman who is doing shopping, Eric thinks that Griffin is humane. Paradoxically, after helping the woman, Griffin steaks the gum pack and gives an excuse that it is part of their payment for helping the older lady. Griffin consoles Mrs. Rosen in another incident when she says her pet died. After the conversation, Griffin celebrates the pet's death, arguing that it was useless because the only thing it used to do was bark.

James Preller concludes the novel by exploring the topic of courage. Eric decides to disrupt the status quo in the new middle school. After Griffin and his goons assault Eric and steal his bike, he decides to take revenge and teach them a lesson. No other student in the middle school has ever dared to challenge Griffin's authority. Eric sneaks into Griffin's house and takes all his possessions from the souvenir box. When Griffin discovers that Eric knows all the items he has stolen from other students, he returns them, makes peace with all students, and promises never to bully them again.