Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Chris Crutcher’s novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a riveting novel about the pains of growing up both in a dysfunctional home and as an outsider in the teen scene. This touching story is packed full of believable characters and believable situations. It is a novel that often is considered for censorship, but is also a novel that could teach a great deal to young adults. It is a novel that can change the worlds of so many people who may need compassion and a helping hand.

For many young adults, growing up is painful, and compassion is difficult to find. According to Childhelp, an organization dedicated to meet the various needs of abused children, over three million cases of child abuse are reported each year. However, “experts estimate that the actual number of incidents of abuse and neglect is 3 times greater than reported” (Childhelp). This is a larger problem than many would like to admit, but Crutcher has done a great job bringing this issue to the forefront in this novel. Both Sarah Byrnes and Dale Thornton live with the problems, which arise from being raised in an abusive home. Sarah is a prankster who laughs at everything. Dale is a bully that passes on the abusive treatment he has received and learned from his father. They both have built up a wall between themselves and the world. Neither child has an adult they can trust, and they are both fully aware that telling what happens in their homes would only cause more trouble. As we learn more about Sarah’s father, it becomes quite clear why the child would fake a catatonic state.

Though it is hard for many people to understand why a child would rather spend time in a psychiatric hospital than their own home, people who have been in Sarah’s situation know when there is too much physical pain, a person will do almost anything to get away from it. Her situation is just as believable as every other situation in the book. Crutcher’s background as a therapist has served him well in writing this novel. Amazingly, Sarah does not pity herself the way she does the children who have the emotional and mental scarring inside; she does not believe she is like them. It is not until she writes the letter to Eric that she begins to realize that she acts tough and mean to hide her own pain. Sarah is not the only character whose true-to-life dysfunctional family is noticeable. Mark’s family, though not physically abusive, is just as dysfunctional than Sarah’s. Mark’s father pushes him so hard to be the perfect son that he makes bad decisions which leads to his suicide attempt. Though the father feels he is a good Christian man he has forgotten the words of his Messiah, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). The pressure from Mark’s father has deterred the young man from his Christian responsibility to uphold the rules set down in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, which basically says we should not fornicate. Sure Mark can spin a fine yarn as he stands upon his pulpit preaching about the sins of abortion; however, he does not seem to be able to practice what he preaches. Is this situation believable? Yes, it is common for people to fail to be able to refrain from the sins they preach against. This is seen every day in newspaper headlines across the country.

Another situation that makes the novel believable is the situation with Carver. He goes after Virgil Byrnes and ends up beating him in a questionable bout of self-defense. Many novels give the happy ending to the hero that caught the ‘bad guy,’ but Crutcher does not give the happy ending we are expecting; Carver does receive some jail time. Another unhappy ending component is that Sarah’s mom refuses to save her daughter from ongoing pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “Mothers are found to be the neglectful parent in 72% of neglect cases.” All of the other situations in the novel are believable as well. According to Contemporary Authors Online Chris Crutcher has said, “It is a joy to write a tale that is believable, that is real.” Crutcher goes on to state, “Working in the mental health field provides me with some unique perspectives on the human drama – how people get stuck and how they grow” (Contemporary). Crutcher’s novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is unique because of this perspective that he feels so fortunate to have.

Although the characters are believable and the novel is unique, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is often considered for censorship. In 2005 a mother in Westmoreland, New York wanted the novel to be pulled from the high school curriculum due to its “graphic language.” Though she took her attempt to the school board the superintendent Toni Kulak stated, “We’re going to continue to use the book because we think it’s valuable to our students” (School, 20). Though the novel does have some strong language and the issues raised in the novel may make people a bit uncomfortable and on edge, the novel is a powerful novel about the hardships many young adults face. This novel can give a teacher of young adults many opportunities for class discussion. For instance, in a school with high pregnancy rates, a sexual education teacher could use the novel as an outlet for class discussion about the effects of unprotected sex and abortion. Similarly, in a school where bullying is an issue, the teacher can use the novel to spark discussion on how Sarah must have felt when she was called “Scarface” by her peers, or how Eric must have felt when people called him “Moby” or “Fatboy.” There are many other topics for potential discussion in the novel. Censoring a novel with so much potential for molding young minds into compassionate minds would be a critical mistake.

Though Crutcher’s novel is marketed as a novel for young adults, the novel is suitable for adults. This novel is packed full of believable situations that many people can relate to. It can be used to teach adults and young adults about the hardships of growing up in an environment that they may not have experienced. It can be a tool for young adults who are experiencing such living environments to realize they need to learn to trust other adults, and not all adults are bad. Furthermore, the book can be used as a valuable tool for every high school classroom. In conclusion, this novel is a powerful novel that can change the world of many adults, both young or old.

The Beginning of Life

Before we can argue whether abortion is ethical or unethical, we must determine when human life begins. There are two approaches to explaining when humans come to be, biological and theological. Through these methods we will learn that life starts from the moment of conception.

First, we will explore the biological answer to this complicated question. Webster’s Dictionary defines life as, “an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, and reaction to stimuli.” Biologists believe that all living things have these capacities in common; therefore, biologists believe life begins from the moment of conception. Professor Micheline Matthews-Roth of Harvard University Medical School states, “Each individual has a very neat beginning, at conception” (Just). From the moment a person is conceived, their genes have formed to mold the physical traits of the person. Within days, the brain and heart begin to develop. At eighteen days, less than three weeks, the heart starts to beat. At this moment, the mother may not suspect that she is with child. Not only has the heart started beating, but he also has developed a stomach, lungs, intestines, and eyes. At forty days, the five parts of the brain are developed, thus forming a central nervous system. Around three weeks after conception, limbs are developed, and at six weeks digits have formed. The baby, then, begins to suck his thumb. Next, the baby starts moving instinctively. Next, the baby begins to respond to touch. “At about 9 weeks, in response to a touch on the sole of his foot, he will curl his toes and bend his hips and knees to move away from the object” (Just). Eleven weeks is when all of the baby’s body systems are working. The child can swallow, breathe amniotic fluid, and acts as if he is crying. By the sixteenth week, the sex of the baby is evident. These first four months are when most abortions occur. At the same time, biology dictates that the baby is alive during the entirety of the first four months.

As has been noted, science states that life begins from the moment of conception. Now we will explore when theological doctrine and law in general states that life begins. First, many states consider a fetus a human life. In Memphis, Tennessee, Eric Laquinne Brown was given a twenty-year sentence for manslaughter because he killed his unborn child. In Little Rock, Arkansas, Erik Bullock and three acquaintances were convicted of capital murder for the murder of his unborn child. Numerous cases of people being convicted of murdering an unborn child have been reported across the United States. Therefore, numerous lawmakers, judges, and jurors feel that a fetus is a living being. Many respected religious officials agree. Jessee Jackson stated, “Anything growing is living.” Because a fetus is growing, it must be living. Jackson also states, “It takes three to make a baby: a man, a woman, and the Holy Spirit.” This view of life is common for most people of Christian faith. One verse gives Christians insight into God’s creation of man. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee” (Jeremiah 1:5). Psalms 139:13 and 16 reveal that God knew us and created us in His image before our conception. The belief that life begins at conception is not only a Christian belief. It is also a belief that is shared by other religions as well. Buddhists consider a fetus as a being that can achieve enlightenment; therefore it is a living being. Hinduism states that a fetus is a life with consciousness; therefore it must be protected. Hindus teach reincarnation and that the soul is reincarnated at the moment of conception. Islam also teaches that the moment of conception is when life begins. Respect for life is law in Islamic religion. Judaism teaches that all life including that of a fetus is blessed. With all of these religions, the preservation of life is sacred. To all of these religions only their God can decide when to take life away. Many people argue that life means the completeness of a being. To them we are not alive until we are born. Once we are born we are complete. “If completeness were the criteria for taking life we would all be dead. If you can justify abortion on the basis of emotional incompleteness then your logic could also lead you to killing for other forms of incompleteness – blindness, crippleness, old age” (Jackson). Biology and theology both agree, life begins at conception; therefore a fetus is a living being.

Works Cited

Jackson, Jessee. “How We Respect Life Is The Over-Riding Moral Issue.” Right to Life News (Jan 1977).

Just The Facts. 6 April 2007. < http://www.justthefacts.org/clar.asp>.

“Life.” Def. Webster’s Dictionary. New and Expanded ed. 1993.

Abortion

When I was in school, I had to write a paper in which I had to take a stance on abortion. I was very uncomfortable with the assigned topic. The paper required me to closely research both sides of the issue as well as all of the reasons women have abortions. Then, I had to choose a side, pro or anti. I was told if I chose pro, I had to support all of the reasons for abortion, even as a means of birth control. If I chose the anti side, I had to never allow an abortion, even if it meant to save the mother’s life, the child would die after birth anyway, or it was not a definite, but a possible side effect for a life saving procedure of the mother.

Abortion is such a complicated issue, but my instinct was to say anti. However, as a mom, I could not imagine having to carry a child for nine months knowing that your child will not live after birth. For example, some babies never develop brains, hearts, lungs, and/or other much needed organs. Because of the complication of the abortion topic, and the fact that I had been assigned the topic, I procrastinated horribly on the paper. I had very low self-efficacy on the project. I did not think I would be able to get the paper done, and was hardly motivated to get it done. I did not believe that I would be able to write the paper because I was unable to take a stance. I never became intrinsically motivated for the paper and quickly began to lose what little extrinsic motivation that I had.

I had to fake my way through the paper, which I still struggle with today. The attribution of why I learned nothing with the topic is because the research made me more confused than I personally had been. I knew that I would not have an abortion if told I needed one, because that is what I had gone through during the pregnancy of my second son, who by the way is perfectly normal and healthy regardless of the doctors’ estimations. However, I could not decide if it was wrong for a mother whose child never developed a brain, Anencephaly.