Character Analysis
We've gotta say, Mr. Fridley wins our vote for Best Character Description:
Sort of baggy and comfortable. (32.5)
Comfy ol' Mr. Fridley is the custodian who "keeps an eye on just about everything around school" (32.5). In the absence of Dad, Mr. Fridley becomes a sort of father figure to Leigh, helping him sort through his problems and thoughts. Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw:
I don't have a favorite teacher, but I really like Mr. Fridley. He's the custodian. He's always fair about who gets to pass out milk at lunchtime, and once when he had to clean up after someone threw up in the hall, he didn't even look cross. (15.5)
Not complaining about cleaning up throw-up in the hall? That's the mark of a good guy. And that's not all. He reminds kids who have braces not to accidentally throw their retainers in the garbage so they won't have to go digging through soggy trash to find them. Yuck.
Mr. Fridley gives Leigh the important job of helping him hang the flag in front of the school every morning. This solves a huge problem for Leigh because he's been trying to kill time before school to avoid being in his lonely house after Mom leaves for work. We're guessing Mr. Fridley noticed that Leigh was getting to school early in the mornings, and that's why he gives him the job.
That's the important thing about Mr. Fridley: he notices. One day he sees that Leigh is upset:
Mr. Fridley noticed me scowling again and said, "So the lunchbag thief strikes again!"
I said, "Yeah, and my Dad didn't phone me."
He said, "Don't think you're the only boy around here with a father who forgets." (32.2-4)
That's reassuring to Leigh. It makes him feel a little better to know that other kids have the same problem. He wishes he had a grandfather like Mr. Fridley—kind and easy to talk to.
Mr. Fridley catches Leigh in an important situation where Leigh has a choice between turning to the dark side or staying good: Leigh is so frustrated about the lunch bag thief that he's about to drop kick someone else's lunch down the hall. At first, Mr. Fridley hands out some tough love:
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, and this time he wasn't being funny at all.
[…] "I don't want to see a boy like you get into trouble, and that's where you're headed."
"I don't have any friends in this rotten school."
[…]
"Who wants to be friends with someone who scowls all the time?" asked Mr. Fridley. "So you've got problems. Well, so has everyone else, if you take the trouble to notice." (40.4-10)
Leigh's not mad when Mr. Fridley says this; he knows Mr. Fridley cares about him and gives him good advice. So he takes it to heart and thinks about how hard life can be for his mom and dad. It puts things in perspective.
In the absence of a dad, we'll take Mr. Fridley any day.