Lacy peter s mother is a midwife and assists alex josies mother deliver her baby girl. Analysis of nineteen minutes by jodi picoult 2188 words bartleby. Peter houghton is one of two main characters in nineteen minutes. Nineteen minutes introduces a sixteen year old boy named peter houghton.
Character analysis nineteen minutes by jodi picoult. He has an avid interest in computers and video games. Teasing, bullying and torment are the driving force behind the actions of seventeen yearold peter houghton. Finds and visits her father only to be rejected by him. He used to be best friends with josie when they were younger, but she got caught up in popularity. Peter hides in his his room and turns to his computer to give him comfort where he designs computer games with a lot of violence. Nineteen minutes summary and study guide supersummary. The theme of the story is love and bullying because peter was bullied throughout his life and he was secretly deeply in love with josie. Home theme characters authors craft sound track peter houghton. He has never be aware of the fact that he does act differently than most in social situations, which becomes obvious on pg 210 after he made a graph of popularity in his freshman math class, specifically listing students and where the stand within the. Peter houghton character analysis in nineteen minutes litcharts. His best friend, josie cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment. In sterling, new hampshire, seventeenyearold high school student peter houghton has endured years of verbal.
Likewise, people ask, how many people died in nineteen minutes. Peter houghton just a normal teenager that had been bullied for almost his whole life had finally lost it and decided to shoot 2 out of 4 guns at school. Nineteen minutes by jodi picoult fiction novel nineteen minutes by jodi picoult is a novel based on a school shooting in the small town of sterling, but focuses more importantly on the feelings of the main characters, peter houghton and josie cormier, who experience insecurities and social acceptance, or. The mass shooting takes place at sterling high, in new hampshire, and lasts for the nineteen minutes of the books titular namesake. Jodi picoult received an ab in creative writing from princeton and a masters degree in education from harvard.
Peter thinks to stop the bullying that hes endured since the first day of. Summary themes characters authors craft soundtrack nineteen minutes by. Peter is an awkward teenage boy who has been bullied his whole life. Nineteen minutes by jodi picoult, literary analysis.
Peter houghton character analysis in nineteen minutes. An odd kid, who has been mercilessly bullied for most of his life. He then decided to react and shoot 10 people at his school. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Nineteen minutes is how long it took the tennessee titans to sell out of tickets to the playoffs. Nineteen minutes also features the return of two of jodi picoults charactersdefense attorney jordan mcafee from the pact and salem falls and patrick ducharme, the intrepid detective. He faces having to be compared to his older brother joey who even participates in bullying peter at school. When joey is killed in a car accident in 2006, lacy and lewis houghton are too. In sterling, new hampshire, seventeenyearold high school student peter houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of his. Themes nineteen minutes by jodi picoult, literary analysis. The mass shooting takes place at sterling high, in new hampshire, and lasts for the nineteen minutes of the book s titular namesake. Nineteen minutes characters listed with descriptions.
In nineteen minutes, picoult writes, you can order a pizza and get it delivered. In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. One final incident of bullying sends peter over the edge. Nineteen minutes sees the return of two characters from picoults earlier novels. Nineteen minutes by jodi picoult, literary analysis summary. Peter went into an armed rampage at the school aiming to hurt the ones that had harassed him over the years. Peter is one of two primary characters within the book nineteen minutes, he is an awkward 17 year old boy who has been bullied majority of his life. Nineteen minutes book by jodi picoult official publisher. Peter gets deeply involved in games and starts creating his own computer games.
In sterling, new hampshire, seventeenyearold high school student peter houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of his classmates. He and peter build and play the game hidenshriek together, but when peter actually acts on their fantasies of revenge, derek is shocked and horrified. He is 17 years old when he commits the shooting and 18 when he is tried in court, yet due to the nonchronological nature of the narrative, the reader also gets glimpses into peters life from infancy onward. Jodi picoults latest topical novel, nineteen minutes, takes its title from the duration of a highschool shooting rampage perpetrated by peter houghton, a muchbullied new hampshire teenager. In nineteen minutes you can get revenge page 1 this quote was at the beginning of over 400 pages and it gives the reader a hint that some sort of revenge will happen.
Not many people saw it that way, but thats how peter saw it and other victims. Feb 05, 2008 and peter s parents, lacy and lewis houghton, ceaselessly examine the past to see what they might have said or done to compel their son to such extremes. After years of cruel bullying from his classmates, peter houghton snaps one morning, and in nineteen minutes, ten residents of the town of sterling are dead. Jodi picoult provides a substantial answer to these questions in her drawing of the character of peter houghton in the novel nineteen minutes. Dec 02, 2015 or, as peter houghton knows in nineteen minutes, you can bring the world to a screeching halt. View essay nineteen minutes essay from eng 4ui at sir john a macdonald secondary school, waterloo. Peter houghton, 17yearold high school student whom lives in sterling, new hampshire endured years of verbal and physical abuse from his classmates. In the small fictional town of sterling, nh not unlike gilford oh, sweet irony.
One character that played a large role in the book was peter houghton. Nineteen minutes by jodi picoult fiction novel nineteen minutes by jodi picoult is a novel based on a school shooting in the small town of sterling, but focuses more importantly on the feelings of the main characters, peter houghton and josie cormier, who experience insecurities and social acceptance, or lack of. There is one obvious main conflict that peter faces is being bullied in his life. I believe peter houghton decided to commit such an atrocity at sterling high. In typical fashion, picoult shapes her story by providing various perspectives. Peter houghton was a skinny, freckled, foureyed student at sterling high. Alex and lacys friendship comes to an end when they discover peter and josie playing with guns in the houghton house. Peter houghton, picked on by school mates from the first day of kindergarten, enters sterling high, and in nineteen minutes kills ten and wounds another nineteen students. He felt like every single one of those people deserved what happened to him. And peter s parents, lacy and lewis houghton, ceaselessly examine the past to see what they might have said or done to compel their son to such extremes. Peter houghton, a victim of bullying since kindergarten, decided to get revenge on all the people that had ever bullied him.
The main character of jodi picoults book nineteen minutes is a 17 year old named peter houghton. Peter houghton, the seventeenyearold school shooter, changes the lives of many people on march 6, 2007, when he opens fire on his fellow classmates. In this work, the author describes a school shooting in which ten people are killed and examines the situations that lead up to the horrific slaughter. All dwindle had done was what they all subtly longed for. Peter houghton takes on a life where he is a victim of bullying and violence. Peter learns how to shoot guns and goes hunting with his father for the first time. He is 17 years old when he commits the shooting and 18 when he is tried read analysis of peter houghton. He is 17 years old when he commits the shooting and 18 when he is tried in court, yet due to the nonchronological nature of the narrative, the. Peter houghton grows up in a small new hampshire town called sterling. Such a profession does exist and the equation that. Nineteen minutes essay summary nineteen minutes introduces. You can read a story to a child or have your oil changed. Nineteen minutes is a riveting drama written by the well known jodi. Peter was frequently the target of severe bullying at school, and josie often stuck.
May 24, 2020 nineteen minutes tells the story of a mass shooting at sterling high school, which takes place in 2007 in new hampshire, america. Since the age of six, peter has suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of school bullies. Jodi picoults latest topical novel, nineteen minutes, takes its title from. In this emotionally charged novel, jodi picoult delves beneath the surface of a small town to explore what it means to be different in our society.
Analysis of jodi picoults nineteen minutes words 123 help. Jun 28, 20 the key to nineteen minutes seems to reside with josie cormier, who is found unconscious but unharmed in the locker room with peter. This theme is first displayed at the beginning of the book when peter decided to go into his high school and shoot the people who brought him the most pain. The nineteen minutes quotes below are all either spoken by peter houghton or refer to peter houghton. In sterling, new hampshire, 17yearold high school student peter houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates.
From there the question the book centers on is not who did it eyewitnesses identify 17yearold peter houghton. When the case goes to trial, the reeling town is determined to seek justice for the innocents peter killed. Nineteen minutes are all it takes to turn the small town of sterling upside down. Theme analysis one theme developed in jodi picoults nineteen minutes is that bullying canhave effects that can go beyond physical hurt. One day peter decides to end it all with a school shooting, killing his classmates and even matt royston, josies boyfriend. Rich with psychological and social insight, nineteen minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thoughtprovoking novel that has at its center a haunting question. He has never be aware of the fact that he does act differently than most in social situations, which becomes obvious on pg 210 after he made a graph of popularity in his freshman math class. Peter houghton peter houghton is one of two main characters in nineteen minutes. Sterling, new hampshire was known as the safe town until march 6, 2007. Like peter, derek is awkward, nerdy, unathletic, and a computer whiz. Nineteen minutes introduces a sixteen year old boy named peter houghton who commits a. Chapter 4, page 89 chapter 14, page 441 while josie shot matt, her account recommends that numerous individuals in the town are much the same as subside. Everyone thinks they are above him and picks on him 247.
Nineteen minutes is a captivating novel that follows the story of a. Nineteen minutes also features the return of two of jodi picoults characters defense attorney jordan mcafee from the pact and salem falls and patrick ducharme, the intrepid detective. From there the question the book centers on is not who did it eyewitnesses identify 17yearold peter houghton but on why. When detective patrick ducharme catches up with peter in the middle of his killing spree, he sees a slightlybuilt 17yearold with crooked glasses crouching beside a bank of lockers, shivering like a. Peter houghton, a seventeenyearold boy, wakes up one day and brings four guns to his high school in sterling, new hampshire. Peter houghton enters sterling high and goes on a killing spree that leaves 10 dead and many others wounded both physically and emotionally also know, why is the book called nineteen minutes. Mar 20, 2008 the international bestsellerincredibly thoughtprovoking sunafter years of cruel bullying from his classmates, peter houghton snaps one morning, and in nineteen minutes, ten residents of the town of sterling are dead.
Defense attorney jordan mcafee the pact and detective patrick ducharme perfect match. In nineteen minutes, you can order a pizza and get it delivered. Peter didnt choose remorse for what he had done,in fact he considered himself a victim. Feeling like an outsider and a social misfit, peter loses sight of the value of life. As only jodi picoult can, a difficult subject matter is unveiled and then brilliantly dissected through character analysis rather that making it plotoriented, always leaving room for a characterenhanced plot twist at the end. Beside her is the body of her boyfriend, jock matt royston. His mother and father, lacy and lewis, as well as the community of sterling, must deal with. Nineteen minutes nineteen minutes summary showing 14 of 4. Peter houghton enters sterling high and goes on a killing spree. Feeling like an outsider and a social misfit, peter. In just nineteen minutes, peter drastically changes the lives of many of the members of his sterling, new hampshire community. Creates a computer game with a setting modeled exactly like sterling high school. Apr 09, 2010 in nineteen minutes, you can get revenge. Thanks for exploring this supersummary study guide of nineteen minutes by.
Peter houghton the main character in the novel and the perpetrator of the school shooting around which the narrative is centered. Peter is a seventeenyearold high school student who has faced bullying since the very first day of kindergarten. His older brother, joey, is just as abusive as the bullies, and his parents seem oblivious to whats happening to him. Mar 19, 2007 jodi picoults latest topical novel, nineteen minutes, takes its title from the duration of a highschool shooting rampage perpetrated by peter houghton, a muchbullied new hampshire teenager. Consequences of bullying erupt in picoults nineteen minutes the. His actions dont just make victims of his fellow classmates, however.
Josie starts dating the hockey stud and peters main antagonist. Considers suicide after her release from the hospital but decides against it. The title nineteen minutes refers to how long it takes the shooter, peter houghton, to complete a bloody rampage through his new hampshire high school. Feb 05, 2008 rich with psychological and social insight, nineteen minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thoughtprovoking novel that has at its center a haunting question. Jodi picoult has succeeded in doing just that with nineteen minutes, her 2007 novel about a columbinelike school shooting.
Josie has endured her abusive relationship with matt royston and in the end, josie has committed in killing matt royston, ending her miseries and finally moving. The rest of the book bounces between flashback and the present. It follows peter houghton s massacre through the grounds of his school after enduring years of brutal bullying by his peers. Summary sterling, new hampshire was known as the safe town until march 6, 2007. In the book nineteen minutes by jodi picoult, takes place in sterling, new hampshire, where nothings usually happens there but on march 6th 2007 sterling high school was in chaos. The main character in the novel and the perpetrator of the school shooting around which the narrative is centered. In sterling, new hampshire, 17yearold high school student peter houghton has. Peter had tried to help himself, take his mothers advice, or do anything to save himself from the torture, but nothing would work. Rich with psychological and social insight, nineteen minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thoughtprovoking novel that. This leaves suspense as to what type of revenge will occur and how it will happen.
It follows peter houghtons massacre through the grounds of his school after enduring years of brutal bullying by his peers. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist. The father of the shooter in nineteen minutes is a college professor whose area of expertise is the economics of happiness. Nineteen minutes 2007 is the fourteenth novel by the american author, jodi picoult.
One theme developed in jodi picoults nineteen minutes is that bullying canhave effects that can go beyond physical hurt. I feel like throughout the book peter himself is his biggest conflict. The book starts with the shooting, or its immediate aftermath. This novel follows the unfolding of a school shooting, including the events leading up to the incident and the aftermath of the incident. Nineteen minutes jodi picoult introduction in this emotionally charged novel, jodi picoult delves beneath the surface of a small town to explore what it means to be different in our society. The pull of a trigger changed not only his life, but many others that lived in sterling, new hampshire. He plays a main role in the book as the school target. Nineteen minutes by jodi picoult book club discussion. Peter and josie are very close friends as small children and really best friends. Mar 16, 2007 jodi picoults latest topical novel, nineteen minutes, takes its title from the duration of a highschool shooting rampage perpetrated by peter houghton, a muchbullied new hampshire teenager. Picoult pens a taunt psychological suspense with nineteen minutes. Peter houghton, the seventeenyearold school shooter, changes the lives of.
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