The book Bystander by James Preller is mainly about the story of the friendship and ultimately hatred between a bully named Griffin and the main character, Eric. In the story, Eric is a boy with his mom and little brother who move back to Long Island after a long dark period of time relating to Eric's father and how he slowly became crazy. Once Eric arrives, he befriends Griffin, a kid his age with a true charm. Slowly, Eric realizes what Griffin does to other kids. This makes Eric slowly become enemies with Griffin and his crew. The overall character change in this book is that even though Eric believes he is a better person than Griffin, by the end of the book he is comparatively a more cruel person than he was in the beginning of the book.
The first example that Eric changed for the worse in the book, it states, " ' I have to do this. He stole something from my brother, and something from me. I want it back.'... He scribbled a few words on a piece of paper-- 'NOW WE'RE EVEN'-- and tucked it into the wooden box on the shelf." (Pg. 204+208+209)If Eric hadn't been changed person, he would not have put the note because that is him doing to show Griffin what he is capable of, but it is becoming him. What Eric did is an action that Griffin would do to retaliate. Another example to support that Eric changed to Griffin is, as the book states, " 'What is...wrong...with you?' Eric asked, his voice rising in frustration. ' Why can't you just leave people alone? Is your life so miserable that this is how you have to spend your time? You're a waste, you know that a total waste.'" (Pg. 186) Even though it may have been for the means of standing up for his self, Eric has changed enough to say these insults as vigorously as he did. Even if Eric doesn't like the mean things that Griffin does, Griffin still trained Eric in a way.
Overall, even though Eric overcomes such things as bullying, he himself changed through being friends with Griffin and enemies with Griffin. He has become more like Griffin, more cold and less shy. Eric definitely changes over the course of the book.
