Essay Questions

How does Crash’s behavior exemplify the concept of toxic masculinity?

Crash is an arrogant football-loving jock who finds no value in those who do not share his interests. Combined with the large amounts of joy he gets from physically and mentally abusing others, he is a perfect example of antiquated ideals of masculinity. As he and Mike abuse Penn, they “peacock” in such a way as to attract the attention of cheerleaders. When the cheerleader in question rejects him, Crash has a violent outburst and harms the ones he loves. Crash’s bullying stems from an inability to express his own insecurities, originating from his difficult home life.

What is the importance Penn and Crash’s relationship, especially at the end?

Crash, simply put, throws a race to let Penn win. On a deeper level, this means so much more. Crash spent years (maybe even a decade) tormenting Penn with mental and physical abuse. Crash surrounds himself with people he finds like him, and does not realize how toxic this is until his behavior results in a grave injury towards his grandfather. After viewing the way that Penn relates to his grandfather, being kind and generous and offering him a present despite being bullied by Crash his entire life, Crash realizes that he needs to change his life. By becoming more like Penn, Crash’s life drastically improves. He has a better relationship with his family and with the world around him, causing him to rethink his relationships with people like Mike. Penn influences Crash by being a pacifist and refusing to bend to Crash’s more toxic traits, which over time helps Crash grow.

How do side characters like Jane, Abby, and Scooter influence Crash’s desire for positive change?

Crash originally was best friends with Mike, someone who represented his football-loving bullying self. However, his sister Abby and his crush Jane’s relationship to Penn made Crash reassess. These women were drawn to the niceness of Penn, and initially Crash lashed out. He refused to admit that there may have been an issue with his personality. Scooter, ironically not his love interest, taught Crash how to love. Scooter was the first person that Crash ever cared about and when Crash hurt him (by accident), this helped him grow as a character into developing empathy. With this, he realizes that the characteristics that Jane and Abby idolize in Penn should be qualities that he himself reflects in his every day life.