The Running Man Character Analysis

In the novel The Running Man by Michael Gerard Bauer, the author captures the experiences of a marginalised character, Tom Leyton. The use of the silkworm metaphor invites the audience to uncover the dark secrets of Tom Leyton 's mysterious past. The introduction of the character Joseph Davidson provides the author with a catalyst to open the metaphor of the silkworm and take the reader on a journey to understand the life experiences of Tom Leyton. Joseph Davidson, who is portrayed as someone with poor self esteem is also described as an outsider. The running man is used by the author to reveal the experiences of Joseph Davidson and demonstrate his growth of becoming less marginalised throughout the novel. By creating characters in the novel who are excluded and labelled the author demonstrates how cruel society can be to people. The purpose of this essay is to show how the author reveals the experiences of marginalised characters in society.

Joseph Davidson is an introverted, fourteen year old boy who feels that he is trapped within his own world of chaos, and he too is a marginalised character in the book. It is suggested by the author that other characters believe that Joseph’s mother smothers him too much and his father has

Tom Leyton is just like a silkworm in his cocoon but doesn 't remember how to get out. This statement is emphasised in the quote “Things happen in life…everyone picks up… baggage…that they have to carry along with them… but sometimes the baggage becomes too much, too terrible, and it overwhelms them and it becomes all that they are”. This quote illustrates that Tom is labelled and excluded from society through their ignorance of what he is experiencing on a personal level. Society does not understand his mental illness and this is misinterpreted by society and became a reason to outcast