Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes Analysis

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” -Elie Wiesel
This quote by author Elie Wiesel, reflects that throughout the novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher, a prevalent social justice theme is “Justice, Justice shall you pursue,...” (Deuteronomy 16:20). Eric Calhoune is a high school senior whose best friend, Sarah Byrnes, has been put in a hospital because she refuses to speak. Sarah Byrnes, a troubled girl, disfigured by burns she received when she was three, has always been a friend to Eric. Even when being overweight made him an outcast at school. Now, Sarah needs a friend more than ever. Eric, determined to find out the cause of Sarah’s hospitalization,

Many times Eric would visit Sarah in the hospital hoping that she will tell him why. Though, Sarah will not speak to Eric. “Sarah Byrnes sits across for me in what has become our nightly standoff. It occurs to me that if she actually is understanding every word I say and choosing not to respond, it pisses me off. Today I’m going to try to find out” (106). Eric, being the good friend he is, immensely wants to give Sarah help. He tries his best and will not stop at anything. In addition, when Virgil Byrnes, who is Sarah’s father, tries to harm her, Eric helps Sarah by trying to find protection for her. He tries to get her the justice she deserves. Sarah then takes up safety with one of her fellow teachers, Ms. Lemry. “For the past three days, Sarah Byrnes has been living in the apartment above Lemry’s garage” (200). She takes Sarah in and cares for her and worries for her as if she was her own child. Furthermore, Eric goes up against Virgil Byrnes in hopes of revenge for the injustice he has done to Sarah. Eric knows that Virgil is a big threat and a dangerous man. Without hesitation, Eric goes up against Virgil. Eric suffered many injuries, but they were all for the justice Sarah