Runner

by

Robert Newton

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Runner makes teaching easy.

Mr. Peacock Character Analysis

Mr. Peacock is a timber yard worker who gives the Feehans scraps of firewood in exchange for Charlie raking the timber yard. He was a friend of Mr. Feehan, but after Mr. Feehan’s death, Mr. Peacock is able to act on his attraction to Mrs. Feehan. He refuses to give the Feehans the firewood they desperately need unless Mrs. Feehan agrees to do him sexual favors. She reluctantly accepts. Mr. Peacock also physically abuses Mrs. Feehan, and when Charlie witnesses this, he beats Mr. Peacock unconscious with a cricket bat. Mr. Peacock wants to press charges, but Squizzy Taylor intimidates him into letting the matter drop and leaving the Feehans alone.

Mr. Peacock Quotes in Runner

The Runner quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Peacock or refer to Mr. Peacock. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Money, Class, and Community  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

I ran during the day and I ran at night. In fact, I ran so much that I didn’t bother changing into my father’s old boots anymore. Ma and I both had our secrets now […]. I avoided her as best I could, preferring to spend my time with Nostrils or Squizzy or Dolly. At least with them I didn’t have to pretend.

Related Characters: Charlie Feehan (speaker), Mrs. Feehan, Nostrils Heath, Squizzy Taylor , Mr. Peacock, Mr. Feehan, Dolly
Related Symbols: Mr. Feehan’s Boots
Page Number: 65
Explanation and Analysis:

Reluctantly she swung my way, and it was then that I saw her battered face. I was shocked […]. I could not believe that the woman standing before me was the same one who’d brought me into this world––the one who’d cared for me all these years.

Related Characters: Charlie Feehan (speaker), Mrs. Feehan, Squizzy Taylor , Mr. Peacock
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Runner LitChart as a printable PDF.
Runner PDF

Mr. Peacock Quotes in Runner

The Runner quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Peacock or refer to Mr. Peacock. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Money, Class, and Community  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

I ran during the day and I ran at night. In fact, I ran so much that I didn’t bother changing into my father’s old boots anymore. Ma and I both had our secrets now […]. I avoided her as best I could, preferring to spend my time with Nostrils or Squizzy or Dolly. At least with them I didn’t have to pretend.

Related Characters: Charlie Feehan (speaker), Mrs. Feehan, Nostrils Heath, Squizzy Taylor , Mr. Peacock, Mr. Feehan, Dolly
Related Symbols: Mr. Feehan’s Boots
Page Number: 65
Explanation and Analysis:

Reluctantly she swung my way, and it was then that I saw her battered face. I was shocked […]. I could not believe that the woman standing before me was the same one who’d brought me into this world––the one who’d cared for me all these years.

Related Characters: Charlie Feehan (speaker), Mrs. Feehan, Squizzy Taylor , Mr. Peacock
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis: