Crabbe by William Belle Character Sketch

In the book “Crabbe” by William Bell, Franklin Crabbe runs away and tested himself against nature. A weak and un-athletic teenager set out to live on his own in the wilderness for the rest of his life. Franklin Crabbe is a scholar student in his grade 12 year of high school, his family is wealthy and highly respected by the rest of the city. Little does the city know that this well put together family has problems that they hide from the rest of the world. Crabbe’s father is a heavy drinker, his mom swallows Valiums every day and the grade twelve scholar student is a closet alcoholic. Throughout the novel, Crabbe exhibits a large variety of character traits that reflect the real Crabbe not the Crabbe that the world sees. Although the world knows how intelligent Crabbe is they are unaware of his many other traits. Crabbe is a symbol of the teenagers in today’s society, he represents how teenagers can have adult problems and that even the wealthiest families have problems. Throughout the novel Crabbe shows he is intelligent, depressed and dependent.

Throughout the novel Crabbe is shown as a very intelligent individual who's intelligence proves to be the most important part of his character by the end of the novel. In the novel there are many scenes where Crabbe’s intelligence is shown. He is an honor student and scholarship material. When he is caught with alcohol in his locker he doesn’t receive the proper amount of punishment because the principal was protecting him and the school from looking bad. Crabbe also thinks that he is smarter than the teachers. He often proves how they’re wrong so the teachers just tell him his answer is incorrect instead of having to deal with him. Crabbe out smarts Dr. Browne, his psychiatrist. Franklin determines that Dr. Browne has a different approach to each discussion that they have. He’s either friend, firm or father. When acts like a father he is controlling and shows a great amount of concern for Crabbe and controls their...