School Ties

He was brought up in a family which honors their traditions very highly. Racial prejudice played a significant role. The school captain Rip Van Kelt, who was roommates with Dillon for many years, is under pressure to uphold the tradition of the school, and does not dob in Dillon when he sees him cheating. He is uninterested in following in his father’s footsteps, and honoring the family tradition of making it into Harvard – like the majority of boys in his class. This is shown when he accepts that they voted him guilty and goes to see the headmaster.

Charlie, who is driven by the pressure to achieve, do well for his family and follow in his ancestor’s footsteps, decides to cheat in a test. He takes the cheap and gutless alternative and blames it on David the Jew – well knowing that the people would vote against David. However, when they discover that he is a Jew, all of this is thrown out the window and they honor they family values and vote against him.

David is shown to be an honest, and trustworthy individual as he was brought up to honor his family traditions very highly. r, David Greene is a football recruit, who comes from a lower class family, and consequently has contrasting views to many of the boys brought up in the upper class realms. This plays a significant role in how David acts in the circumstances placed upon him at the school. He doesn’t emphasize the value on what University he goes to as he doesn’t need to fill a tradition. Because of the external pressure laid upon him he breaks his oath and his word, and cheats on his test. Eventually they all give into this pressure, Charlie cheating in the test, and then they honor their family traditions of hating Jews and vote David guilty – because he was a Jew. With his social upbringing and beliefs, he strongly values the act of friendship and religion.