Bystander

The novel portrays bullying as a socially contagious, and possibly hereditary (in terms of being learned from a parent), issue. Griffin’s father beats him regularly and even knocked out one of his teeth. One of Griffin’s friends describes Griffin’s father as “at least six-four, two hundred and seventy-five pounds” (72). This description illustrates the imbalance of power between father and son. Griffin’s father bullies Griffin, who is smaller than him. Griffin then bullies David Hallenback, who is described as skinny and weak. When Griffin comes to school with a black eye from his father, his usual self-confidence is gone; he is sullen and obviously feels powerless. To regain his confidence, he feels the need to lash out at someone weaker. It’s no coincidence that Griffin’s “Pretzel” (i.e., his physical abuse of Hallenback) takes place the day that he arrives with a black eye.

David Hallenback is another example of a bully’s victim transforming into a bully. One may question why Hallenback does not accept Eric’s offer of friendship in Chapter 19. However, at this point, Griffin’s group has ostracized Eric; he is alone because he questioned Griffin’s behavior. Hallenback doesn’t see any benefit to an alliance with someone who has been shunned. He thinks his best chance at acceptance and safety is to lure Eric to the pet cemetery, where Cody beats him up. When Hallenback kicks a fallen Eric in the stomach, it completes his transformation into a bully and a member of Griffin’s clique—though this status does not last long. Although Hallenback is a victim, his poor choices make him difficult to sympathize with.

Studies show that people who suffer abuse are more likely to become abusers themselves. A U.S. Secret Service study on school violence, “Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School violence” (2019), found that “most of the attackers were bullied by their classmates, and for over half of the attackers the bullying appeared to be of a persistent pattern which lasted for weeks, months, or years.” In the novel, Eric raises concerns that Hallenback will resort to gun violence to seek revenge against his tormentors: “Hallenback pointed his finger at Eric, then lifted it to the ceiling, then twice pressed down his thumb. Bang-bang. ‘I know how to defend myself’” (121). In Chapter 21, when Hallenback leads Eric to the pet cemetery, the latter wonders: “Then the thought struck him—a weapon of some sort? A knife? A gun? Isn’t that what happens when kids get picked on too much? Sometimes they can’t take it anymore” (134). As it turns out, Hallenback simply turns into a bully, a weapon, himself.

The U.S. Secret Service study also found that “nearly every attacker experienced negative home life factors”—including “domestic abuse.” This fact helps explain Griffin’s behavior, though it certainly does not excuse it. Eric has also struggled in the past due to his father’s violent outbursts—but does not take out his frustration and grief on others. Perhaps, the novel’s main message is that there is no excuse for bullying. The vast majority of people who are bullied find non-violent ways to address the problem.