Nineteen Minutes - Theme

Megan Rooney

Nineteen Minutes: Theme

Nineteen Minutes consists of a lot of themes about high school and the treatment of the outcasts. I think one of the themes of this novel is to not to tease and hurt the geeks like Peter. It shows us some of the consequences of bullying that could occur if kids continue to harass the people who aren’t exactly like them- the so called losers. While Peter’s approach is rare and extreme, what the author is trying to portray is that the outcasts and weirdos are people too, and that this bullying is cruel and horrible. No one should be treated that way. I believe another theme of the novel is to stand up for the bullied if you see it occurring, even if you aren't the bully- be an upstander. But Nineteen Minutes is also about the fact that it is really hard to be an upstander. Josie makes a few attempts to stop Matt and Drew and the others from teasing and bullying Peter “I just... don’t like the way you treat kids who aren’t like us, all right? Just because you don’t want to hang out with losers doesn’t mean you have to torture them, does it?” (218). Josie, however, is quickly rebuffed by her boyfriend and others in the popular group to which she belongs, and so she drops it. This is an example of how Josie might have been able to prevent Peter from snapping, but is pressured by her friends to not mess without it. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, and Josie is too afraid to pursue the thought, frightened she might lose her status. A main point of Nineteen Minutes is to stand up to the persecutors, no matter the cost. If Josie would’ve stopped the bullying, perhaps those ten victims of Peter’s wrath would still be alive. If we DON'T follow the example of Josie, and stand up for what is right even if that isn't the popular thing, we might find that the people we thought were losers are better friends and people then our friends that tease them.