Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

The Five Students Themselves (or… Carl?)

The students don't really have a mentor—instead they teach themselves what they need to know. The different students act both as protagonists of their story and as mentors to the protagonist. They all teach each other things about their lives and what they're going through and learn to relate.

For instance, Allison offers up the observation, "When you grow up, your heart dies." From an adult's perspective, this might be a little harsh—but within the world of the movie, it seems like a legitimate lesson.

For a second, it seems like Carl the janitor might become a mentor-figure—he seems to still remember what it was like to be young. But he doesn't fulfill this role, except in relation to the antagonist, Richard Vernon, who refuses to learn the lesson. Carl tells him,

CARL: Come on Vern, the kids haven't changed, you have! You took a teaching position, 'cause you thought it'd be fun, right? Thought you could have summer vacations off, and then you found out it was actually work, and that really bummed you out.

But Vernon simply won't see things this way.