The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Far from a pious image of the Divine Maternity, Madeline is a spunky force of nature with a curvaceous body and convertible muscle car. From the first moment she lays eyes on her son, she declares he will live an “extraordinary life.” Merriam Webster defines extraordinary as “unusual, exceptional, marked”—and though some might see Sam as “marked” by his unusual eye color, Madeline chooses to see it as a blessing and a sign Sam is destined for greatness. In Sam’s formative years, Madeline attempts to use her Catholic faith to shape his character, but when he rails and rebels, failing to see God’s plan for his life, Madeline allows Sam to find his own path to faith. Her nightly rosary prayers become an outlet for her grief over what her son must endure. Madeline is an advocate for her son until the end, and she never gives up hope he will come to love himself just as much as she does.

Sam struggles to live up to his mother’s expectations, especially when it comes to his faith: “No matter the depth of my mother’s love or how fierce her embrace, she could not protect me from the evil in the world, nor, it seemed, could all her novenas” (105). Though Madeline could not protect her family from pain, trauma, illness, and death, she instills in Sam a deep sense of purpose. Once Sam matures enough to realize she is not trying to control him, he begins to comprehend the depth of her influence. Though he does not fully realize it until adulthood, Madeline gave Sam the freedom to find himself, and in the end, he found his purpose in her love.

Ernie appears at a time in Sam’s life when he desperately needs an ally. The two first join forces to stand up against the tyrant David, but they become inseparable friends who share the journey of childhood into adolescence and finally into adulthood. While the pain of others’ bigotry links the two friends, the narrative emphasizes their happier moments of soaking up the joys of life, whether playing baseball in the park or attending senior prom. The friends savor their friendship rather than lingering on the grief of past trauma, and Sam “always thought of Ernie as the kid who had saved [him]” (142). Ernie’s impact on Sam’s life is more than physical protection. He saves Sam from disappearing into the depression and isolation that comes with being different.

Humorous, athletic, and fiercely loyal, Ernie’s presence becomes a comforting shield to the sensitive Sam: “Being Ernie’s friend had been the easiest thing about school, and, if anything, I should have been thanking him. Without him, I’d have still been on the bleachers” (91). Though Sam remains introverted most of his life, Ernie brings him out of the shadows and into the light where he can experience the normal life of a teenage boy. Ernie is like a brother to Sam, and the two share a powerful bond. When Ernie rings the chapel bells to save Sam from certain disaster at the podium, the act seals their friendship with an unspoken pledge they will always protect each other.

The antagonist and villain in the narrative, David is an unrepentant bully who enjoys causing pain to others. Though he physically assaults Sam only once (twice, if including their first meeting when David throws a ball at Sam’s face), his violent threats and vengeful stares paralyze Sam with fear. Once David charges, his attack is swift and relentless: “Smashing a bike was one thing. Smashing another kid repeatedly requires a completely different genetic disposition—emotionally primitive, impulsive, lacking any remorse, sense of guilt, or human compassion” (102). Despite suffering a savage beating, Sam cannot summon the courage to name his aggressor, and his experience portrays the real and dangerous silence that accompanies acts of bullying. Victims fear retaliation and remain silent, allowing the bully to attack again. Even while David behaves as a conscienceless beast, the author humanizes the bully by alluding to his dysfunctional home life. David is the product of an abusive home, and he is acting out what he sees modeled in his dad.

When David reappears on the page as an adult, his presence reopens old wounds in Sam and heightens tension in the narrative. David represents a past Sam has not fully accepted, and his revival as the chief antagonist comes at a much higher cost this time as the safety of a mother and child hang in the balance. As an adult, Sam can no longer hide from the bully in his mom’s car or the restroom, and he must decide how he will fight. However, Sam’s good nature ultimately does not stop David’s destructive impulses. David’s life ends in violence, as does his ex-wife Trina’s, and Sam spends the next decade of his life trying to atone for what he sees as his failure to prevent the devastation.