One of the interesting features of Strasser's novel is the very limited number of characters. While the two adult characters Pops and Mr. Green only play a marginal role in the story, the author's major interest is directed towards the three adolescent protagonists Ian, Talia, and Stuart. In contrast to the adults, the individual characters of the teenagers are developed in much greater detail. In this way the novel is not so much Shark Bite 371 concerned with conflicts between different generations but with exploring the differences and similarities of adolescent identities and the major values attached to these identities. An analysis of the literary characters reveals that Strasser's exploration of these issues does not cross ethnic boundaries but remains within the realm of the white society. He rather concentrates on the construction of the various sources that constitute the process of identity formation in young adults...