The Honest Truth

Jessica Rodriguez, known as Jess or Jessie, has been Mark’s best friend since early childhood. Jessie has Mexican heritage, and the kids enjoy contrasting their skin tones. She is a good listener, patient and kind when Mark expresses his deepest fears and everyday thoughts. She is also willing to be vulnerable and reciprocate secrets; following her parents’ divorce, the narrator recalls, “Jess had spent the night at his house and she’d cried, and it wasn’t even embarrassing. He’d cried in front of her before, after all” (119). Their friendship works because both willingly bear each other’s burdens and share their deepest troubles. She values loyalty and friendship above all else. When she realizes what Mark is running toward—and why—she remains loyal to his wishes. She recalls a conversation where Mark gave her his full trust, and he asked her to “hold [his] secret” (118). Jessie takes her role seriously, though she remains torn about how best to help him. By the end, she realizes that the best way to help her loved ones doesn’t always align with what they say they want. However, the story doesn’t reveal whether she reveals Mark’s plan to the authorities.

While the reader presumes that the narrative’s vivid descriptions come directly from Mark’s mind, the final chapter reveals that the story’s creative narrative elements may come from Jessie. Mark supplies the plot points, but the ending implies that rich similes, metaphors, and imagery are of Jessie’s imagination. Certainly, Mark and Jessie share the bond with the haiku poems, but the revelation of the narrative source suggests that Jessie may be the true poet between the two. Her identity as a poet is consistent with her other attributes, including her observant nature and willingness to listen.

Beau is Mark’s faithful canine companion on his journey. Though Beau suffers from hunger and exhaustion right alongside Mark, he never complains or makes the journey more difficult. He obediently sits in the duffel bag on command, chases off bullies, and puts himself in danger’s path to protect Mark. Mark and many others repeatedly affirm that Beau is a “good dog,” referring to his constant obedience and faithfulness. For example, Wesley contemplates Beau’s good nature by saying, “Everybody oughta have a dog. [...] Dogs teach you love and kindness. They remind you what’s important” (141). Beau’s pure intentions transcend all the complicated relationships in Mark’s life. The dog has no ulterior motives, and he remains loyal and loving regardless of surrounding dangers and his own wellbeing. Beau is an ever-present friend in Mark’s loneliness, which Mark openly appreciates on multiple occasions.

Beau is a mutt with brown and black fur and two differently colored eyes—one brown and one green. Jessie once noted how Beau combines her and Mark’s physical attributes: Beau possesses both Jessie’s black hair and brown eye and Mark’s brown hair and green eye. Mark agrees, saying, “He’s like both of us. [...] Together” (20). In light of this memory, Beau’s loyalty becomes more symbolic, expounding on themes of friendship. Not only is Beau’s love for Mark unconditional, but it represents the strong connection between Jessie and Mark. Even though Jessie can’t be with Mark physically on his journey, Beau’s presence often reminds him how loved he is.

Mark’s unnamed parents also have a difficult, uncertain life. Mark’s dad responds to his son’s disappearance with intense quiet. Jessie describes him sitting anxiously by the phone, waiting for news, and staring into his newspaper without reading. Worry occupies his mind, but he mostly keeps his emotions inside. Mark’s mom can’t help but cry through her worry, and Mark describes her constant emotional heaviness from the doctor’s first phone call to long days in hospitals. Jessie observes, “Mark’s mom was almost never not crying, though she cried without making a sound. She’d gotten very good at crying quietly” (33). However, wearing her heart on her sleeve doesn’t hinder her perseverance. She always does everything in her power to support Mark’s health and the people around her. Jessie learns a profound lesson from Mark’s mom when she watches her insist that Mark’s dad eat dinner. Though Mark’s dad doesn’t want to eat, his wife knows he needs it, and ultimately he understands that she’s right. Mark’s parents model how to care for each other in seasons of suffering, which helps the main characters (Mark and Jessie) better understand how to live well amid life’s storms.

Shelby only speaks in one chapter, but her character profoundly affects Mark’s journey. Shelby is a six-year-old girl with curly red hair who leaves her brother’s side to converse with Mark on the bus ride to Elbe. She and her brother are visiting their father’s new house for the first time following their parents’ divorce, and Shelby is “not gonna say one word the whole entire time” (80). Readers know Shelby is naturally talkative based on her interactions with Mark, so she must feel deeply hurt to cling to this grudge against her father. Listening to someone else explain their anger helps Mark evaluate the emotion—of which he’s intimately familiar—objectively. Mark is initially annoyed by her company, but her presence ultimately expands his empathy and offers a profound perspective that guides his character development.