Character Analysis
Hungry Like the Wolf
If there's a villain in Shiver... well, it's Shelby. She's pretty nasty. Although Jack's not loveable, either, he's more misunderstood than evil.
Sure, Jack’s a jerk, but look at his home life. His dad's a hunter with a taxidermy fetish and his mother is more often medicated than not. And the popular kids, like Isabel, usually aren't popular without some sort of pressure. We really have no idea what Jack went through before becoming a werewolf. Plus, it doesn't seem like he had many friends. He may have a ton of mourners wearing black after his death, but they seem to be doing it because it's en vogue, not because they care. After all, Isabel has to turn to someone she barely knows, Grace, in order to find help.
However, none of this excuses Jack from being a territorial jerk. Sam notes that Jack “Peed on every tree. Cocky bastard” (47.4). In this way, he serves as a foil to Sam. Sam is introspective and sensitive in life, and he's a quiet, peaceful wolf. Jack is a selfish jerk in human life, and he's a wolf with bladder control issues.
Still, Isabel cares about him, because she's his sister. It's sad that she's the only one who seems to care, and even more tragic that her idea for a cure ends up killing him. We have to wonder how she's going to cope with this after getting over the shock.