The Summer of Broken Rules

Stephen “Wit” Witry has two functions in the novel. His primary function from the more pragmatic perspective of storytelling dynamics is to serve as the love interest for Meredith. His affection for Meredith allows her strength and resilience to flourish. He does not hold her back and does not belittle her emotions and experiences. When he scares her by driving too fast, triggering a trauma response, he acknowledges that he was in the wrong and offers to give her the keys. In turn, this action gives Meredith the opportunity to grow by allowing Wit to continue driving, even though she hates not being in control. Thus, she starts trusting others to be in control of vehicles again.

His second function is the conventional role of sidekick. Wit is alongside Meredith for all major developments in the story. When Meredith grows emotionally, Wit is not far away, and when he is not present, he is still the first person whom she confides in. While this also makes him a confidante, his role as active sidekick becomes much more prominent as both the plot and the game of Assassin progress. As previously demonstrated, his many considerate thoughts and actions allow Meredith multiple opportunities to acknowledge and work through her own feelings; he is the main catalyst to her growth during the week, and thus he supports her, helps her, strengthens her, and occasionally picks up the pieces when she starts to fall apart. He never doubts her and never questions her ability to overcome the many emotional challenges that she faces.

Claire Fox dies a year and a half before the story begins, but she remains a strong and active presence throughout the novel, for her very absence serves to drive the behaviors, thoughts, and actions of many of the main characters. The week’s secondary big event, the game of Assassin, is played in her honor, and it is through her memory that Meredith ultimately reconciles with Luli and Sarah and resolves the conflicts raging within herself. This dynamic allows Claire to serve retroactively as an indirect mentor for her sister, even after death, for Meredith often grows in the narrative because of moments in which Claire’s memory guides her. One such moment occurs when Meredith cuts Ben out of her life completely. She reflects on her now happiness, and how she feels lighter without the weight of Ben, with an awareness that she could have escaped the situation sooner “[i]f only [she’d] truly listened to Claire” (155).

In addition to functioning as a mentor, Claire also serves as an orbital character, for the mere memory of her allows Meredith multiple opportunities to develop her relationship with Wit. For example, Wit met Claire the night she died and emphasizes that all Claire could talk about was Meredith. She even gave Wit her sister’s number, hoping that the two would connect, and thus she serves as her sister’s matchmaker long before Meredith and Wit come together in actuality, for Claire’s exuberance about Meredith makes Wit curious enough to want to meet. Between driving the game of Assassin that allows Meredith to grow and drawing Meredith and Wit together, Claire’s presence creates a space for both protagonists to shine and to become the people they are meant to be.