Thoughts on Alex.

Alex had difficulties after the school shooting as like all parents she did not know if her daughter was injuried or killed. After she discovered that Josie had survived, she felt guilty because she felt that she had not being giving Josie enough time and attention.She also felt that she was not there enough for Josie. Alex made more effort to spend more time with Josie and to be a better mother to her daughter.At the end of the book I believe that Alex has grown and developed as a character. Her priorities have changed and she is no longer so career orientated and gives up being a judge and goes back to being a public defender. Her new life with Patrick and being a better mother to her new baby and not making the same mistakes that she made with Josie becomes a more important priority. She also makes an effort to spend more time with Josie and tries to repair their relationship. I feel her lowest point in the novel was when she finally discovers what a flawed character her daughter Josie really is. She discovers that Josie lied and deceived her, that Josie had betrayed and hurt Peter and was capable of murder, as she shot her boyfriend Matt Royston. Josie's testimony is really Alex's lowest point because she finally learns the awful truth about Josie. There is a lot of symbolism in the novel. For example numbers are an important symbol in the novel. Numbers are symbolic of the fact that so much damage can occur in only 19 minutes, that Peter has been trapped in a terrible situation for too long and that time is running out for him. It is also significant that Peter's math teacher Mr McCabe is the only character in the entire novel that makes any effort to help Peter. Guns are also an important symbol in the novel. The incident when Peter and Josie are only 5 years old and Alex caught them playing with guns foreshadows the future incident of the school shooting at Sterling High. Guns are a symbol of violence in the novel.