Nothing But The Truth

A veteran English teacher whose only family is a sister in Florida, Margaret Narwin is passionate about her subject area and increasingly frustrated as she attempts to manage her classroom and relations with parents. Ms. Narwin is open to change—she applies for professional development funds to take a graduate class in contemporary teaching methods—and her students see her as a fair teacher despite her somewhat strict approach to classroom discipline.

Ms. Narwin is a straightforward, relatively innocent person who takes people at their word and gives even Philip the benefit of the doubt initially. When the cynical responses of the administration and the anger of general public threaten her job, however, Ms. Narwin’s faith in people becomes a handicap. Unable to navigate in the newly politicized space of her classroom, Ms. Narwin chooses to give up her position rather than fight for her job.

A neighbor of the Malloys and a candidate in the upcoming school board election, Ten Griffen is the person most responsible for publicizing the slanted story of Philip’s suspension. Griffen is a consummate politician who sees the conflict between Philip and Ms. Narwin as a political opportunity that will allow him to gain a seat on the school board. Ted frequently includes appeals to faith, patriotism, and traditional values in his campaign speeches. Ted’s major motivation is to gain power and greater standing in his community, no matter what the cost.

Dr. Seymour is the superintendent of the Harrison schools. His major concern throughout the novel is securing funding for his schools, which are under threat of steep cuts if Harrison fails to pass a new budget. Seymour is somewhat distant from teachers and parents. He is characterized by a deep pragmatism that sometimes veers into a lack of integrity when important matters like the school budget are at stake. Seymour’s unwillingness to stand behind Ms. Narwin and his distortion of her desire for additional professional development are prime examples of such compromises. 

A former star pupil of Ms. Narwin, Dr. Doane is the principal of the school Philip attends and at which Ms. Narwin teaches. As a school-level administrator, Dr. Doane has close relationships with the teachers and students but delegates most interactions to her assistant principal. Dr. Doane also feels the pressure of impending budget cuts and demands from parents and the community to provide an education but not one that costs much. These pressures explain why she is willing to sacrifice Ms. Narwin’s job. Like the superintendent, she is most concerned with avoiding the political fallout from Philip’s suspension.

Her apparent lack of loyalty is one of the key reasons why Ms. Narwin ultimately retires.

A salesman whose dreams of being an Olympic runner failed when he was forced to withdraw from college to care for his family, Mr. Malloy is a hard-working man who feels overwhelmed by a demanding boss and bewildered as he attempts to be a good father to his sometimes uncommunicative teenage son, Philip. Mr. Malloy’s wife constantly pushes him to engage with his son on an emotional level. He is out of touch with the person his son has become and has little awareness of what Philip’s day-to-day life is like. Nevertheless, he is supportive of his son and encourages Philip to stand up for his values, based on his understanding that the conflict with Ms. Narwin is over personal beliefs.

Mrs. Malloy works a clerical job to support her family. Like her husband, she seeks to support her son but is especially focused on his emotional well-being. She is a relatively timid woman who seems to occupy traditional gender roles at home despite her contributions to the family finances.

A conservative radio talk show host, Jake Barlow plays a key role in publicizing the narrative that Philip was suspended solely for singing the national anthem. Like Ted Griffen, Jake espouses values that place conformity, faith, and patriotism at the center of public life. Barlow directs his listeners to write Ms. Narwin letters by postcard or brick (an incendiary comment he backs away from by claiming that it is a joke), causing Philip’s suspension to become a viral story. Barlow’s approach to his role as a commentator, expressed in his ridicule of liberals on his show and demonization of people who hold different political beliefs, represents the growing trend and impact of partisan journalism.

The Harrison High track coach is one of the important adults in Philip’s life, despite Philip’s inability to participate in track because of his academic eligibility. Coach Jamison constantly counsels Philip to make efforts to work with others and compromise as needed to meet his goals. He is one of the few adults who says no to Philip and consistently talks to him about the consequences of his actions.

Allison is a classmate of Phillip’s and also a girl Philip has a crush on. As the conflict between Philip and Ms. Narwin grows, Allison takes the lead in calling Philip to account for his actions. She demonstrates her willingness to stand up for her beliefs by helping start a petition to protest the treatment of Ms. Narwin.

Ken is a classmate of Philip’s who walks to the school bus stop with Philip in the morning and who is a member of the track team. Ken is a frequent joker like his friend, but he is also one of the first students to ridicule Philip once he realizes the truth behind Philip’s humming of the national anthem.

Dr. Palleni is Dr. Doane’s assistant principal. His primary function at the school is to handle discipline problems, and it is Dr. Palleni who ultimately makes the call to suspend Philip, despite Ms. Narwin’s objections. As the designated disciplinarian, Dr. Palleni is most concerned with securing cooperation and respect for rules from both students and parents. He has little patience for parents such as the Malloys, whom he quickly brushes off once he realizes that Philip appears to be guilty of misbehavior.