Brinker spends the entire story trying to make the best
possible situation for himself and taking offense at anyone else who has success that he
is unable to duplicate.
The first time Brinker enters the
story, he comes into Gene's room and congratulates him on achieving a room without a
roommate. The fact that Gene did not request a single room never occurred to Brinker,
and his insinuations that Gene requested to room with Finny again while conscious that
Finny would not be returning to Devon convey his
jealous.
When Brinker first becomes frustrated with the war
efforts demanded of the Devon boys and announces his plan to enlist, he sees this as a
plan that will allow him to escape the madness of the school and make a glorious name
for himself. When he discovers Finny has returned to school and realizes that Finny and
Gene would be continuing on to complete their careers at Devon before entering the war,
Brinker has to remain and complete his time, also.
As the
story ends, Brinker enlists in the Coast Guard because he sees it as the safest and
easiest way to fulfill the military obligation he knew he had to face. Brinker has no
understanding or respect for his father's opinions regarding acceptable attitude and
intentions toward becoming involved in the military forces; his primary emotion os
"generalized, faintly self-pitying resentment against millions of people he did not
know."
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