Deadline

Cody Wolf is a primary character and Ben’s younger brother. The Wolf boys have been best friends ever since they were little. Ben knows that there “is not a day [he] can remember when [he] wouldn’t have laid [his] life down for [Cody]” and he knows that Cody feels the same about him (264). Their relationship gives both of them a consistent foundation amidst their otherwise difficult home life. They both try to support their parents and help with their mom when she has manic or depressive phases. Cody often encourages Ben to take care of himself and stop trying to fix their mother. For example, on the night of the dance, he offers to stay home to be with their mom so that Ben can go and enjoy himself with Dallas. Therefore, the brothers have an equanimous relationship.

Ben decides to hide the truth of his condition and prognosis from Cody initially, despite their close bond. He doesn’t want the news to hurt Cody and fears distracting him from his future as a college footballer. He believes that he is making the decision with Cody’s best interests in mind but also worries about “[his] brother’s rage” (23). When Ben does finally reveal the truth to Cody, Cody doesn’t react in the aggressive way that Ben anticipates. Instead, he listens closely to Ben’s explanations for hiding the truth. Although Cody wishes that Ben could have walked “straight out of the doctor’s office” and told him the truth (264), he doesn’t hold Ben’s secrecy against him. Therefore, Cody proves to be as empathetic as Ben. He values their relationship above all other relationships, too, and therefore doesn’t push Ben away in his time of need.

Throughout the novel, Cody repeatedly articulates how important Ben is to him. “Together we’re like a whole person” (263), he often reminds his brother. A line such as this one underscores the profound fraternal tie that Ben and Cody share. Although they are both smart and athletic, they aren’t rivals. They don’t engage with one another via competition but instead, celebrate one another’s triumphs and encourage one another through their trials. Cody’s character therefore bolsters Ben throughout the novel, even when he isn’t being honest and open with him. His brother offers him a safety net that he must learn to rely upon as his illness progresses.

Dallas Suzuki is another primary character. She is one of Ben’s classmates and his longtime crush. When Ben starts his senior year, he decides that he’s going to start talking to Dallas. Dallas is not only beautiful but academically and athletically talented. She is bold in the classroom and fierce on the volleyball court. Furthermore, she is self-possessed. These attributes are attractive to Ben, but Ben guesses that there is “no way she could want anything longterm with [him]” (123). He thinks that she is a safe person to spend time with because she won’t have any expectations for a future that Ben can’t fulfill. However, when Dallas proves genuinely interested in Ben, he realizes that he has the power to hurt her by keeping the truth from her. The couple’s attachment grows over time and complicates Ben’s regard for his life and death. The closer he and Dallas become, the more afraid he is of dying and losing the love he has built with Dallas. Therefore, her character is a narrative device used to transform Ben’s understanding of love, honesty, and intimacy.

Dallas’s character is familiar with pain, trauma, and loss. When she and Ben start seeing each other, she begins to entrust him with the details of her childhood suffering. Ben is the first person she tells about being sexually abused by her uncle and about getting pregnant and having Joe Henry when she was just 13. She values honesty and openness because she has witnessed how lies can alienate a person and create divides between loved ones. She wants Ben to know her full story because she wants them to connect in authentic, mature ways. Ultimately, her willingness to be vulnerable inspires Ben to reconsider his decision to hide his condition and prognosis. He realizes that he “can’t expect to be loved by Dallas after [he is] gone if [he doesn’t] let her know what’s happening to [him]” (228). As with his relationships with his family, Ben’s relationship with Dallas teaches him The Impact of Secrets and the Value of Transparency. She also opens Ben to the simultaneous pain and beauty of being alive. Her ability to triumph over her trauma gives Ben the courage to discover himself and to grow in the face of adversity.

Rudy McCoy is a secondary character. He works at the local car garage where Ben occasionally picks up hours washing cars. Ben has therefore been familiar with Rudy for some time. However, whenever he’s at the garage, Rudy “always slinks away”; and when Rudy does emerge from his little room off the garage, “he moves around town like a ghost” (55). He is regarded as the town drunk and local pariah by everyone in the Trout community (56). After Ben is given a year to live, he starts to realize how alone Rudy is and begins to feel sorry for him. He starts visiting Rudy and bringing him supplements to improve his health. He knows that Rudy is an addict and hopes that being a friend to him will encourage Rudy to take care of himself.

Ben and Rudy develop a regular schedule of spending time together at the garage. The more often they see one another, the more discoveries Ben makes about Rudy. He realizes that Rudy isn’t the man he thought he was. He’s not only a deep thinker but has a rich and fascinating backstory. Ben especially likes to discuss politics with him, because Rudy similarly loves The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Like Dallas, Rudy’s character encourages Ben’s journey toward Self-Discovery and Personal Growth in the Face of Adversity. Ben is horrified when Rudy reveals that he is “a child molester” and that he holds himself responsible for his victim’s death by suicide (205). Although Rudy’s openness initially deters Ben and makes him question the meaning of right and wrong, once he processes this revealing conversation with Hey-Soos, Ben begins to sympathize with his friend. He doesn’t agree with what Rudy has done, but he also doesn’t deny Rudy love and kindness because of it. Furthermore, Rudy’s capacity for honesty moves Ben. He realizes that if Rudy can be real about his own faults, demons, and mistakes, so can he. Rudy’s death by suicide in Chapter 23 also deepens Ben’s reflections on life and death.