"Kendall, my son, I think you've got a future."
Kendall goes on his first job together with Murphy and accidentally stumbles upon a scene where the cops are arresting a criminal. Kendall's character is that of a typical youngster who follows his curiosity, which makes his superiors at Telegram believe that he has a future. He keeps saying that he doesn't want to be a reporter, but his actions prove otherwise.
"There's something wrong," she grabbed her fork and pointed it at me, "when you can get thrown in jail for what you believe."
Angela is a wannabe actress who didn't find a way for her big break yet. She is also a strongly convinced communist, and she teaches Lee about politics, social life and literature. The novel is set in the time of the Cold War, and openly expressing one's political beliefs could have dire consequences for the individual.
It was hard sometimes to tell the girls from the boys. And that ain't right.
Lee's judgmental and misogynist opinions are related to his upbringing and lack of social interaction. His character is also a witness of its time, a time when clothes and hairstyles determined the gender of the person. His behavior towards Angela is problematic as well. Despite his belief that he is in love with her, he objectifies her based on her appearance and judges her behavior from a conservative standpoint.
I watched the car drive away. Murphy was gone. Angela was gone. I was a reporter.
The novel is a bildungsroman, meaning it that it follows a life of an individual through the key events in their lives. It begins with Lee leaving his father to find his place in the world and ends with him finally realizing his path of being a reporter. Kendall accepts the change and the fact that things aren't always as expected, but that is perfectly fine.
