Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes

Steve, Eric’s present best friend, is a foil to Mark Brittian. Whereas Mark’s faith is dogmatic and judgmental, Steve’s faith is quietly reflective and allows for uncertainty and imperfection. Steve resents Mark and his father for being so bombastic and dogmatic. His own life has contained painful loss (the death of his older brother) so he has wrestled with questions that many of his classmates have yet to face, especially Mark Brittian. 

Sarah, Eric’s close friend from junior high, is in crisis throughout the book. When she stops talking, Eric is determined to find out what’s going on. He eventually realizes that the fault lies not with him but with Sarah’s abusive father, who Sarah is trying to escape.

It’s Sarah who teaches Eric the priceless lesson of standing up for himself. Their time spent co-editing their underground publication, Crispy Pork Rinds, empowers Eric to become his own person. He comes to see that hiding from bullies and from himself is untenable. The only way forward is to accept himself.

Cruel and abusive, Sarah’s father is the clear antagonist of the book. In addition to persecuting Sarah, Mr. Byrnes targets all those who help her, most especially Eric. He himself is attacked at the end of the bookby Carter, Eric’s mom’s boyfriend. Not much time or space is devoted to explaining why Mr. Byrnes is such a monster. It is just established that he has a drinking problem and a history of domestic abuse. From their very first encounter, Mr. Byrnes strikes Eric as a truly frightening man.

Eric’s mom is a minor character in the book. Eric describes their relationship as open and warm. He is not afraid to confide in his mom, except that he fears he may betray Sarah if he gives her secret away. However, Eric’s mom is far less central to the story than Ms. Lemry, who guides Eric and his peers through their conflicts both in and out of the classroom.

Alsoa secondary character, Mr. Ellerby demonstrates an ability to remain religious while also being tolerant and flexible in outlook. In this capacity, he differs from Mr. Mautz and Mr. Brittian. For Mr. Ellerby, spiritual challenges are best faced honestly and openly. He also stands up for the separation of church and state, realizing that religion does not always have a place in all conversations.

Mark faces a moral dilemma throughout the course of the book. When he gets Jody pregnant, he cannot face the consequences of his actions because it seems to invalidate all the beliefs he has so loudly expressed. His attempted suicide is a clear sign of how difficult it is for him to evolve and face his mistakes. Mark is a dynamic character, however, and by the end of the book he comes to see that perfection is an insupportable goal for any person. He needs to become more accepting of himself and others. Conversations with Eric guide him on that path, much as Sarah once guided Eric down that same road.

When Mark attempts suicide, his father chooses to blame Eric and Steve Ellerby, rather than examine the pressure that he and his narrow interpretation of faith have put on his son. While he is not physically abusive, he is certainly neglectful of his son’s mental health, as he has essentially programmed Mark to judge all people harshly if they don’t live up to his criteria.

Eric’s romantic interest is also stuck in a morale quandary. She is made to feel ashamed for the abortion she has without any support from Mark. It is Mark’s loud judgment of others that propels her to loudly confess what she has been through, though in doing so she causes the conflict that sparks both Mark’s suicide attempt and his later self-acceptance.

Eric comes to trust Dale, the bully who gave him so much trouble in junior high. He even relies on Dale to give him information about where Sarah’s mom may be. It is Dale, ironically, that gets Eric help after he is attacked by Mr. Byrnes. Like Sarah, Dale seems to be in an abusive home, though his father’s violence is more implied than explored directly.

The vice principal of Eric’s school deeply resents him throughout the space of the book. He views Eric as a trouble maker and an annoyance to devout, perfect students like Mark. Rather than letting people explore their beliefs, he censors Ms. Lemry by forcing her to take a leave of absence when issues arise in her CAT class.

Eric’s teacher and swim coach is the adult he trusts most. He talks over his problems and worries with Lemry. She differs from the other adults in the teenagers’ lives in that she is deeply rooted in their daily existences and she approaches them honestly and without judgment. During swim practice and in her class, she encourages Eric and others to push themselves past pre-determined limits, to question what they think they know about themselves and others and to partake in a thoughtful re-examination of their own beliefs.