OVERALL ANALYSIS

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Eddie Rake

He is the head football coach of 34 years at Messina High School who is dying as the story begins. Through the memories of his players, especially Neely Crenshaw, the reader meets a man of inordinate skills and talents who not only goes down into the legend of the town, but into the hearts of the young men he coached. Like most human beings, he is...........

Neely Crenshaw

Neely is a troubled man of 30 when he returns to his hometown to sit a death vigil for his former football coach, Eddie Rake. He has a love-hate relationship with this man whom he hasn't seen for.........

Paul Curry

He is Neely's best friend and was the co-captain of the '87 Spartans. He never left Messina, having taken over his father's position in the family banking business. He is the...........

Silo Mooney

He also played on the '87 team and was the meanest player on both the offense and defense. Coach Rake cursed and screamed at him more than any other player, but none of his players loves Rake more. He is...........

Nat Sawyer

The only openly gay shop owner in Messina, Nat played on the '87 team as well. He was the world's worst punter, but through little more than ineptness, managed to...........

Sheriff Mal Brown

One of Rake's earliest players, he now is the county sheriff and likes to throw his weight around. He is described as a heavy eater and a heavy hitter, threatening to bust Silo Mooney the first..........

PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

The author divides the novel into four days - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - rather than into chapters. This effectively emphasizes the idea of a vigil...........

AUTHOR'S STYLE

The author's style largely involves flashback in order to tell all the stories about Rake over his 34 years as a coach. He also tells the story mainly from the..........

RISING ACTION

The rising action begins with Neely Crenshaw's return to Messina and his first visit to Rake Field in 15 years. It follows his experiences during the..........

FALLING ACTION

he falling action begins with Neely's eulogy for Coach Rake, when the townspeople and the former players can't brings themselves to leave after his funeral. Only Rabbit firing up the...........

POINT OF VIEW

The point of view is third person omniscient. It is seen through the eyes of an all-knowing, all-seeing omniscient narrator, who is the author himself, but..........

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