Why do you think it is, that everytime Miles got yelled at or into an arguement with someone, he seemed to be so passive? He never really yelled back at anyone. Most of the time he just laid back and didn't say anything or he let his mind wander. Do you think that there is any significance in this characteristic in him?

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2000

Answers

I got the feeling that Miles is just a passive person and he doesn't ever want to cause problems. He doesn't seem like he's able to talk back or even say what he feels sometimes. I think he's the kind of person that couldn't say no to anyone even if he tried, for fear of hurting someone's feelings. I don't think there is really any certain significance of his characteristic, it just seems that he acts sully and kind of old for his age which makes him more calm.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2000

I think that is just part of Miles's personality. It goes along with how the rest of his life is. He lives a very boring life and he likes it that way. It is just his way of staying out of trouble in a small town. I think he figures if he doesn't cause any trouble people will not have anything to critisize him about.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2000

I'm not sure why Hassler made Miles' character the way he did. He did seem passive and unreactive to situations, but Hassler must have had a reason for doing this. He may have done this to make his character less significant to the overall storyline of the book. He could have blown up when being accused of having a relationship with his student, but he did not. This seems to make Miles less of a factor in the overall story, even though I felt his life was the focus.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000