Philip Malloy

Philip is a ninth grader who is considered a “class clown,” at least when the class is English. He is a good runner and talks often about wanting to run with the track team and follow in his father’s footsteps. As the story’s protagonist, Phil’s thoughts and struggles are described through his diary entries. While he may appear to lack focus externally, his diary entries show he is enthusiastic about running and even learning about math. Phil is naïve at times, a sign of his immaturity. Despite the national coverage and hysteria caused over his homeroom incident, Phil believes he can return to school and everything will be back to normal – a thought that is nowhere near reality. Phil possesses common characteristics of youth: invincibility, lack of life experience and inability to take responsibility for his own actions, especially when presented a chance...