Conflict: Nick Andreas


       Nick Andreas struggled with many different issues in his complex life. He had to deal with physical and verbal abuse from the ones he loved. In addition, Nick had to deal with the most difficult challenge, finding out who he really is. He has external issues, man v. man and man v. society, as well as internal issues, man v. self.

    One of his external issues is Nick against his father. It’s been just Nick and his father ever since he was little.  His mother left them when his dad began to hit her. After she was gone, Nick was left alone with his father who was a monster.  He started to abuse Nick. As Nick got older, his father became meaner.  For example, one day his father found out Nick had bought beer for a party and hit him, “He hit me hard in the face, and I stumbled back onto my bed” (75). This caused Nick to miss school because of his bruises. Nick’s father also verbally abused him. For example, after finding a condom, Nick’s father became drunk and told Nick, “‘You must not make my mistake, Nicos.’ I nodded I was the mistake”(209). Nick’s issue with his dad is resolved when a teacher becomes suspicious of Nick’s home life. She is skeptical when Nick keeps coming to school with bruises. She tells Nick that he is a great person and does not deserve all this pain, even if he did make a mistake. Nick finally realizes he deserves better and stands up to his dad and tells him to stop. In the end, his dad finally understands the pain he caused Nick and hurting Nick was wrong.

    Another external issue is Nick against his girlfriend, Catlin. Nick falls head over heels in love with Catlin, but it did not always appear this way. Nick was scared to open up or trust Catlin. But after dating for a long time, she saw the true Nick. Catlin even found out about Nick being abused by his dad and why his mother left, which no one else knew. Although he loved her, Nick had anger management issues which did not help their relationship. One day, Nick’s anger took control of him and he hit Catlin. She put a restraining order against him, which forced him to take anger management classes and to keep a journal of their relationship before the incident. The journal helped Nick keep Catlin and him together in his heart. Nick could not live without Catlin and continued to talk to her despite the restraining order.  Nick missed her so much that he constantly called her just to hear her voice, and sometimes he would tell her romantic things like, “I miss you, Catlin…You know there’s no one else” (140). Nick wanted her so bad that he would not stop till she was back in his arms. But after the anger management classes and seeing others in the class, Nick realized that hitting Catlin was wrong.  She would never forgive him therefore she would never take him back. He now knew he had to get over her and learn from his mistake, instead of living in the past where she still existed.

    Nick also had the external issue of him against his peers. Everyone at Nick’s school found out that he hit Catlin and they turned against him. The book even says, “I walk the other way, through the throng of what used to be my friends. They ignore me. After everything that happened with Catlin, me hitting her, the restraining order, everyone took Catlin’s side” (42). Everyone treated him horrible, especially the people he once called friends. Even Saint, one of his best friends, punches Nick in the face for talking to Catlin. Saint also antagonizes Nick by telling him how he saw Catlin’s body. Nick had no one to turn to for support, which made all his problems seem worse.  Nick could handle losing all of his friends except Tom, his only true friend.  Nick tried to talk to Tom, but Tom ignored him. Although in the end, Tom confronts Nick about his abusive father after Catlin tells him. Tom also says that his girlfriend dumped him and he understands Nick’s pain over losing Catlin. Nick learns that he found someone besides Catlin that he can open up to, Tom.

    Nick also has an internal issue, Nick against himself. Nick pretends to be someone he isn’t so he can blend in. Nick said, “People at my school… see me how I want them to: Nick Andreas, sixteen-year-old rich kid, honor student, coolest guy around. All fake… It’s easier to fake it. When you fake it for sixteen years, it becomes part of you, something you don’t think about” (3). Nick never felt like he fit in with the people around him, so he just pretended to be like them. Nick had a lot of anger and family issues that he constantly kept bottled up inside. He was scared to tell anyone the truth since it would ruin the image he spent his life making.  He then finds Catlin and finally opens up to her, but because of his rage Nick hurts her. Nick then blames Catlin refusing to see the real issue, himself. Nick slowly understands what he did to Catlin was wrong. After seeing Leo, a guy in his anger management class, verbally and physically hurt his girlfriend, Nick discovers he did the same thing to Catlin. He starts to pay more attention in his anger management class and decides to retake it to help him even more. He finally admits that Catlin won’t take him back, and he has to focus on helping himself now. Nick sees he made a mistake and decides to learn from it and to begin to take matters into his own hands.

     If a friend of mine was being verbally or physically abused by ANYONE, I would tell them to seek help. No one deserves be hurt no matter what the circumstances. I would tell them to talk to a counselor and find a way to stop the abuse, especially if it is someone in their family. Also, if it gets extremely bad where they have contemplated suicide, I’d tell someone even if they did not want me too. Never allow someone to hurt you.

Always get help:

 
http://suicidehotlines.com/

http://www.dss.mo.gov/cd/can.htm