Comparing Good And Bad Characters In Heat By Mike Lupica

Many books use “good” and “bad” characters to tell a story, and in doing this, take great care in describing the difference between these good and bad characters. In some instances, characters can be both good and bad at the same time. In fact, there are some characters in books that start out good and end up bad, or vice versa. In the novel, Heat, by Mike Lupica, Justin, a character who is presented as Michael’s dramatic foil, actually ends up as someone important to Michael’s success. All of the lessons Michael learned throughout the book are tied in with Justin’s actions, and when Michael and Justin are together, Michael knows how not to act. Although most readers would see Justin in a negative way, or as a pessimistic character, he is actually the character from whom Michael learns the most lessons, such as teamwork and good sportsmanship.
Justin shows
When the reader first meets him, he throws his bat against the fence because he struck out, causing a loss for his team. He continues to make excuses to avoid the strike out, but in the end, his patience gives out, and he gets angry when “Michael blew the ball right by him. Ball game. At that point, Justin threw his bat against the back screen.” (31). The umpire gets angry with Justin and suspends himfrom the next game. This is important because Michael was watching, and now he knows what will happen if he overreacts. If something bad happens, he knows he cannot make it a big deal, or else he will get himself into trouble. Soon after, the Clippers win another game, and Michael decides to use his good sportsmanship right then. Even though he was not able to play in the game, he still congratulates his team and makes sure that everyone knows that playing matters less to Michael than making his team feel good, “Then Bobby finally did something he told me he couldn’t do. That was the coolest part of all, as cool as them beating those guys,”