In the Place of Last Things

a) Russ Littlebury
"Alone now down the hallway to the room, the door admitting a light upon the instruments and the body of his father laid open in the open casket he had chosen for him. He said, I've come for you. Well I'm not here. So who am I talking to? You've found what matters to you, there is something holy after all."

This passage is from a flashback Russ haves about his fathers death, and it shows a different side of Russ than is demonstrated in the rest of the book. It shows how important Russ' father was to him, and that there are people in his life that he cared about as opposed to some of the people he meets during his travels.

b) Jack Marks
"The Marks stood and leaned over and scratched the animal with one hand, while with the other he took the cigarette from his mouth and cupped it. He brought it in from behind the dog's head then pressed it fast into the animals ear."

This passage details the cruelty of Jack Marks, who is putting a cigarette out in the back of a dogs head. Jack Marks is the "bad guy" of the novel, and this just outlines one of the many cruel things he does and says throughout the story. Most of the other people that Russ meets during his travels are nice, accommodating people, with the exception of Jack Marks.

c) Tara Harding
"I know you're committed to your students, Russ, but it's easy to forget what's at stake for them. And John's the oldest one in each class. He won't make it without some help."

Here Tara is talking to Russ about one of their students, John Overstreet, who is illiterate and can't do well in their courses. Tara ends up giving John a good mark, which says a couple of things about her. It is clear that she has good intentions, but doesn't make a great teacher because of how soft she is on her students. At the time, she is unaware of some things that have happened in John's personal life, but she feels like it is the right thing to give him a good mark on one of his papers.

d) Lea Bollins
"What is it, Lea?" He was leaning towards her.
"I really thought I was pregnant. But like you say, there's definite signs, I guess."
"You were never pregnant. You know that now."
"I thought it would make sense that I would be."

Lea has realized that she isn't pregnant, and she is explaining to Russ what had happened during her travels. Lea is very young and naive, and easily manipulated. Her ordeal with Jack Marks was a difficult one because of how poorly he treats everyone, and the threat of becoming pregnant at that age would be very scary. Lea doesn't know much because of her age, although she becomes a little wiser by the end of the book.

e) Mike Littlebury
"When a call came from the manager of the Colliston Icemen asking Russ to play the last half of the season, he knew that Mike had set up the invitation, and accepted it. There were daily practices and games twice a week in which Russ took the role of the seldom-used seventh defenceman who sat at the end of the bench."

This passage, along with the pages surrounding it, display the kindness and generosity of Mike Littlebury, Russ' dad. Mike sets up an invitation for Russ to play hockey with the Icemen, but that is only the start. Mike is very kind to everyone, including Russ, Skidder, and anyone else he came to know. This is one of the reasons Russ was so fond of him, and why Russ flashes back to times he spent with his father on numerous occassions throughout te book.