Swallowing Stones

Throughout the novel Swallowing Stones, Michael is faced with problem after problem. Each problem that occurs, he must make choice after choice. Michael is faced with a position that he must make the choice that will change the course of his indefinitely. Michael soon finds out the mystery death of Charlie Ward. Soon Michael starts asking himself the question "Could he be Charlie Ward's Killer?" Michael is sure of it. He is now faced with the ultimate consequences that he must face. He knows that if he turns himself he might be let off easy. But then Joe gets him thinking about how easy it would be to just get away with it. He knows that there is know way that they could ever trace that bullet back to his Grandfathers antique rifle, or could they.

Michael soon decides that if he can trust Joe enough to keep in silence, he may be able to out wit the police. When Michael makes his decision, he never considers the ramifications that will come of it. For example, Michael never even considers the long agonizing nights he will stay awake or the ling pain filled days he will go through thinking of Jenna Ward and her mother suffering day after day. On the contrary, Michael thinks he will be able to just move on and forget about it.

Michael soon realizes that he wishes he would have simply turned himself in. Afterwards, it seemed like such a logical choice, but he knew that if he did he would be breaking the loyalty to Joe.

Michael changed drastically over the course of only a few weeks. He learned more about his friends, family, and himself than he ever wanted to know. He learned about friendship and loyalty, pain and agony. He learned about compaction and choices. Through the extreme circumstances that Michael was under, he was thought that your life can never be better than the worst choice you make. Michael learned to think it through and weigh the possibilities in every circumstance. Even though his life and everyone around him has changed, it has eventually changed for the better.