Running and Trauma
Ghost follows its titular character, seventh-grader Ghost, as he begins to run for a local track team. The first time the novel describes anyone running, it is in a flashback in which Ghost and his mother, Terri, flee from Ghost’s father who is drunk and firing a pistol at them. Because of this experience, Ghost thinks of running as a survival mechanism—running means running away from someone or something. As such, at the start…
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Poverty
Ghost grows up in Glass Manor, the poorest part of town, with a single mother who does everything she can to help her family get by. Growing up poor means constant sacrifice for Ghost, who never has clothes that fit or a proper haircut. Although everyone knows where he lives, he is embarrassed to admit it, and negative comments about Glass Manor fuel his rage—highlighting that poverty impacts people’s emotional wellbeing in addition to their…
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Friendship
The first time Ghost shows up to track practice, he comes across it accidentally. After challenging Lu—the Defenders’ fastest rookie—to a race and giving him a run for his money, Ghost tells Coach Brody that he only runs for himself. Ghost’s statement is both a literal response to Coach Brody, who had asked him what team he ran for, and a larger encapsulation of his character. Following a traumatic incident in his youth, Ghost…
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Arrogance and Humility
Ghost is obsessed with greatness, which is why he likes to look at his copy of The Guinness Book of World Records in his free time. However, at the beginning of the story, he does not know what it takes to be great. For instance, when Coach Brody tells Ghost how long it took Usain Bolt—the fastest man in the world—to run a 100-meter dash, Ghost is confident that he could beat Bolt’s record. Of…
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