Gym Candy Character Analysis

As many people have said: “Be yourself because everyone else is taken.” In the book Gym Candy by Carl Deuker, Mick Johnson, a running back who played for the Shilshole high school varsity football team, is not a good example of being oneself. Mick wanted to be better than the rest and go beyond what he was capable of doing, but in dishonest ways. He used steroids to try to help him be the best running back on his varsity team. Little did he realize, taking steroids would cause him major side effects and regretful consequences that would affect him in the future. During this time period, his thoughts about himself changed. “…You don 't have the talent, a voice whispered -my voice" (p. 82). His dad, Mike Johnson, who was his football influence,

Mick Johnson did not only ruin his career, but a good life and a lot of friends. Mick Johnson was not happy with who he was. He wanted to be like the rest of the one in a few hundred thousand athletes that would go to the pros. You need be happy with who you are. It makes you unique. In the end, Mick was put in a rehab facility. He would have to start a new life. Mick didn’t want to mess up like his dad had done, but look what he had done. All of Mick’s decisions were not the best ones. The pressure he had to overcome, the consequences he endured, the life changing decisions that he made, and the fact that he was not determined, was what made Mick Johnson different. He could have actually put in the work and could have made better decisions. But, what is in the past, can’t be undone. You need to see how each decision will affect you in the future. Whether it is procrastinating on a major essay, or stealing a piece of gum from the store. You need to be aware of your surroundings and that’s what Mick was not. As Bernard M. Baruch once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don 't matter, and those who matter don 't