Character Analysis
His Own Man
Most people identify Adam by his friendship with Gansey, but Adam Parrish is desperate to set himself apart from others—even his best friends. He's lived his whole life under the shadow and control of other people, like his abusive, unpredictable father. He refuses to move in with Gansey because of his principles; he doesn't want to "belong" to someone else after leaving his family's house:
"Come on Adam," said Gansey. Please. "We'll make it work."
A wrinkle formed between Adam's eyebrows as he looked away. Not at the double-wides in the foreground, but past them, to the flat, endless field with its tufts of dry grass. So many things survived here without really living. He said, "It means I never get to be my own person. If I let you cover for me, then I'm yours. I'm his now, and then I'll be yours." (14.59-60)
Adam's pride and inability to take charity from his friends creates a kind of chasm between him and Gansey. It's something that they constantly argue over because Gansey just doesn't see how it's a good idea for Adam to stay in the house with his dad. When Adam finally presses charges against his father, though, ending the abuse, he feels no relief. Instead, he feels deflated and angry:
This was where Adam always said something. Where he got angry. Where he snapped, No, I won't take your damn money, Gansey. You can't buy me. But he just turned that paper bracelet around and around.
"You win," Adam said finally. He rubbed a hand through his uneven hair. He sounded tired. "Take me to get my stuff." (38.5-6)
This is what leads Adam to go and seek the ley lines on his own at the end of the book. Gansey can't quite understand why Adam would sacrifice himself, but it's because Adam needs to do things on his own terms. He'd rather go through something difficult or painful than give into being someone else's charity case, and seeking the lay lines is his way of trying to lay claim to himself and his destiny.
Luckily for Blue, Adam fails at his self-sacrifice. What comes of their romance remains to be seen, though. It's high stakes (read up on Blue elsewhere in this section to find out why), but also—at least so far—slow going.