The Deal

Garrett is a 20-year-old hockey player and history major at Briar University with a “chiseled” appearance, a tall frame, and gray eyes. He is a popular student due to his reputation as a star athlete, and he often indulges his ego. Although many assume that he has little interest in academics, Garrett gets mostly As with the occasional grade slip in difficult courses—such as the challenging philosophical ethics class.

Garrett is known for having casual flings with women and avoiding more serious relationships because he is solely focused on pursuing a career in professional hockey. He therefore believes that he does not have the time or energy to focus on a romance. As the captain of his hockey team, Garrett faces enormous pressure to set an example for his teammates and keep his own grades up so that he is eligible to play in each upcoming game. It is this desperation that leads him to implore Hannah to tutor him. 

As a child, Garrett experienced physical abuse by his father, Phil, and also saw Phil abusing his mother. He therefore has a visceral understanding of Hannah’s fears about violence. Having endured such trauma in his own past, he empathizes with Hannah’s past experiences with sexual violence, and his anxiety about inheriting his father’s ugly qualities increases. Although his own behavior has nothing in common with his father’s, Garrett’s fear hints at unresolved trauma that he must overcome. When he has a violent reaction to an opposing team’s hockey player who lied under oath and testified against Hannah during the trial of the man who raped her, Garrett’s outburst prompts him to doubt himself anew. His fear of becoming like his father causes him to more easily accept Hanna’s sudden decision to break up with him, and he fails to immediately question her motives or discern his father’s undue influence on the situation.

However, Hannah’s reassurance that Garrett has many good qualities mirrors her willingness to trust him after all she’s been through, and these aspects of their relationship aid Garrett’s personal growth and confidence. With the newfound certainty that he will never be like his father, he finds the courage to share the truth of his family background with his coach and teammates and effectively cut his father out of his life and the lives of those around him.

Allie is Hannah’s friend and roommate of two years. She has an on-again, off-again relationship with a fraternity member named Sean. She is a supportive friend, supporting Hannah at public events while ensuring that she steps out of her comfort zone. As Hannah observes, Allie “doesn’t have to stay sober and remain vigilant just to make [Hannah] feel comfortable, but she does it every time [they] go out” (24). While Allie is responsible for some of Hannah’s social progress, Hannah also uses her support as a way to avoid confronting her trauma and changing her fear-based behavior patterns.

According to Hannah, Allie’s plan after graduating college is to move out to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for acting. While she is “not Angelina Jolie-beautiful, […] she’s got a cute, fresh-faced look and comedic timing that would play well in those quirky romantic roles” (82). Though Hannah wholeheartedly believes that Allie has talent, she worries that Allie is too soft for the movie industry. She is the most compassionate person that Hannah has ever met, even turning down a full scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles’s drama program so that she could stay closer to her father, who has multiple sclerosis. Despite this sacrifice, Allie’s ambition is enough to offset her tendency to allow opportunities to pass her by.