Saving 6

Aoife is the other protagonist in the novel. She is in the same grade at school as Joey and is attracted to him from the moment she meets him on the first day of school. Several classmates describe her as very pretty, and she is popular in school. One of the key components of her character is her insecurity, as she spends several years in a relationship with Paul Rice because it is easy—despite not being in love with him. She repeatedly pursues a friendship and then a romantic relationship with Joey, insistent that he is a good person despite his outward anger and aggression.

Aoife is a dynamic character who changes throughout the novel. Her insecurity and trust issues are rooted in her parents’ marriage, emphasizing the theme of The Impact of Family Dynamics on Personal Development. She acknowledges that her father’s repeated infidelity makes her afraid to have a relationship of her own, fearing that giving a man “power” over her will ultimately lead to her heart being broken. However, as she falls in love with Joey, she realizes that her parents’ marriage is not indicative of all relationships. Instead, she chooses to allow herself to care about Joey, get to know him, and start a romantic relationship with him—convinced that he is different than the other men in her life. Ultimately, Aoife becomes a key component of Joey’s growth, development, and survival, as she repeatedly supports him through his drug use and with his issues at home. Both Joey and Aoife learn to trust each other and let each other into their lives, thereby starting on the path to a healthy relationship. Although the novel ends with their breakup, their admissions that they still love each other provide hope that their relationship will continue in the future.

Tony is Aoife’s father. He is the owner of the mechanic shop where Joey works. He is a relatively flat character, with little known about him. He cheats on his wife on multiple occasions and then seeks forgiveness by doing renovations in their home. He is a key component in Aoife’s trust issues, as his infidelity makes her feel as though all men will abuse her trust and hurt her in the end. However, he is also a central part of Joey’s love and support system. He serves as a father figure to Joey to replace his abusive one, giving Joey a job, trusting him in the shop, and committing to give Joey a full-time job after graduation. Despite Joey’s reputation, Tony is adamant that Joey is a hard worker and a good person. He provides Joey not only with money to physically help his family but also emotional support to survive his difficult life at home, emphasizing his caring, helpful nature.

Teddy is the father of Darren, Joey, Shannon, Tadhg, Ollie, and Sean. He is physically and emotionally abusive to his family, frequently coming home drunk and starting fights with them. After Darren leaves home at 18, Joey becomes the center of much of his anger as he attempts to defend his mother and his younger siblings. He does not have a job, instead living off money from the government and using it each week to feed his alcohol addiction. Walsh provides little information about his past other than that he impregnated his wife, Marie, when she was 14 while he was in his last year of secondary school. He was a star hurling player in school, and sports become one of the few ways he connects with Joey; however, he also verbally berates Joey over hurling, adamant that Joey is not living up to his potential.

Teddy is a flat, static character who does not change throughout the text. He is a largely one-dimensional antagonist, with little known about him other than his abusive nature. He is a stereotypical villain, regularly abusing his family without motivation or reason given as to why. However, he also adds a layer of complexity to the theme of The Challenges of Mental Health and Addiction. Although Teddy is not a sympathetic character and has no redeeming qualities, he does experience alcohol addiction, repeatedly promising to stop drinking and then falling back into alcohol use after just a few days or weeks of sobriety. In this way, the cyclical nature of Teddy’s addiction reflects Joey’s substance use disorder and highlights the difficulties of overcoming addiction.

Shane is a primary antagonist in Saving 6. He is several years older than Joey and Aoife in school. Joey first meets him when he offers Joey marijuana outside the school, and then he supplies Joey’s with drugs throughout the rest of the text. He is a flat character who represents the dangers of drug use and addiction. He has two interactions with Aoife, one of which involves him verbally abusing her for taking Joey from his car, and the other ends with him physically assaulting her, choking her, and making fun of her for trying to retrieve Joey from his house. This demonstrates Shane’s dangerous influence and emotional and physically manipulative nature.

Paul is Aoife’s boyfriend and an antagonist throughout the first part of the text. While he is in a relationship with Aoife, he regularly texts other girls and even cheats on her. He tries to pressure Aoife into having sex with him, physically and verbally assaulting her when she refuses to listen to his demands. He is a stereotypical, flat villain, as little is known about his character other than his mistreatment of Aoife.

Paul serves as a foil to Joey in the text. They are different in almost every way, as Paul’s father is a Garda Superintendent, his family is extremely wealthy, and he is popular and seen as well-behaved in school. Conversely, Joey’s family is poor, his father is abusive, and Joey is largely feared in school by both his classmates and his teacher. However, the key difference between the two is their treatment of Aoife. While Paul forces her to do what he wants, tries to pressure her into having sex with him, and has no interest in an emotional relationship with her, Joey acts in the exact opposite way. He constantly asks Aoife what she wants, allows her to make her own decisions, and refuses to have sex with her until she is certain that she is ready. These differences highlight Joey’s kindness, respect, and loyalty—subverting the image he projects to his peers.