After finishing Crank by Ellen Hopkins, I realized that Kristina completely screwed up her life because of one bad decision she made. Of course, it didn't help that her mom and dad had a horrid relationship that still haunted her. But, she gave in to one night of hardcore, drug-related partying, and right off the bat she almost gets raped (or maybe worse). Then, after that it just goes down hill from there, until it goes to an, almost, full stop at the end of the book. While I read, I realized that Kristina seems to go through different phases, and with each phase a different boyfriend.
First, there is Adam, or Buddy. He seems to be a nice guy. He is careful and loving. But, there are two bad things about him, which are; 1. He already has a girlfriend (Lince), and 2. He introduces her to crank. They end by Kristina going back home, and Lince jumping off a building because Adam left her. So, yeah, it was a pretty bad relationship. Sadly, the ship of everything going back to normal had sailed, and Kristina was only getting started. Next, there was Brendan, the swimmer. He had a nice body, and a perfect tan, so Kristina was all over him. He was, like Adam, a big crank user, so Kristina was getting even more hooked to the drug. Then, that relationship ended abruptly when Brendan raped her. So, another good call from Kristina. After that she seems to mature a bit, and is with Chase. Although Chase and Brendan did overlap a little, she still seemed to be more in control of herself (and Bree). Chase is actually a genuinely good person. He treats Kristina with respect and sets boundaries for her as well. Although he is also a crank user, he seems to be more in control with his actions (like Kristina). While everything started to look OK for Kristina, she found out she was pregnant. And sadly, it wasn't with Chase. She also learned that Chase was going over to North California for college. But, even after all of the horrible events, that relationship lingered on. Kristina finally seemed to have settled.
So, in all, Kristina went through things in 3 years that it would take others 10 years (or maybe more) to accomplish. There is the Adam Phase, where she is introduced (and gets addicted) to drugs. Then the Brendan Phase, the crazy, bad decisions she makes. And finally, the Chase Phase, where she slows herself down, and gives herself space to breathe. Of course, this might never happen to people. But it really gets you thinking, Is this me in the future? Do I really want this? Crank is a book that really gets you thinking about your future, and how you should prepare for it.
I used to think that it was a series of bad decisions that got Kristina at the stage she was towards the end of the book. She always had her Kristina voice in the back of her head, telling Bree to say 'no'. But I understand that it was her who chose to do meth, a highly addictive drug. But was that all her fault? Maybe she was under pressure, and maybe she didn't know the affects of the drug. And yes, the book does make me contemplate my life in the future, and gives me a clear warning on the care I take in making decisions that could forever rule over my life. Good job!
ReplyDeleteAt first, I never thought about how these boys seem to be phases that Kristina/Bree goes through but not that I think about it, it really does seem that way. It even seems as though the order falls in the way crank makes a person feel. First with Adam, Kristina starts crank and her life seems to make her feel happy then suddenly she has to leave and his girlfriends try's to kill herself, the adrenaline is pounding. Next Brendan happened, Kristina is happy and perfectly fine (still doing crank) then she's raped. Then Chase, which is her first true love but still so much happens. She finds out she's pregnant and its with Brendan’s baby then Chase has to go off to college and she decides to keep the baby. Its like when she is on crank, first she happy and high then the headaches and pain begin.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think about how, even though the Adam Phase and the Brendan Phase had bad effects on Kristina, maybe if she hadn't gone through them she wouldn't have taken it slow and actually think a little more and be more careful during the Chase Phase. Was the Chase Phase even a phase though? Maybe the other phases helped her learn what she really wanted and who she really wanted to be, so being with Chase wasn't a phase, it was who she turned out to be, it was more than a phase. This shows how everything in life, good or bad, builds on who you are and adds to the outcome of who you will become.
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