“The Day of the Last Rock Fight”

By: Joseph Whitehill

 Page 2
• Letter: From Ronnie -> his dad=1st person
point of view
• Ronnie is @ Fallbrook Academy (what is
Fallbrook?)-must be away b/c he is writing his
father
• Fallbrook=school for boys with emotional
problems-Ronnie wants to come home,
doesn’t like it there
 Page 3
• Faculty so sweet-boys can get away with
murder Why is it a poor choice of words? Was
someone murdered?
• Ronnie is the only one that knows the whole
story.
• Gene Hanlon was killed at Manning Day
school
• Story-solved already-so this is a flashback
 Page 3 continued
• RONNIE SAW THE MURDER – and he couldn’t
tell anyone!!! – Internal Conflict
• Characterization of each boy involved (use
character chart on your study guide)
• Characterization & Relationship b/w the three
boys (1st thing his father needed to know)
 Gene Hanlon
•Senior
•Kicked out of old school
•Big & Beefy
•Blonde
•Bully
•Played football
•Cheated in the classroom
•Stole kid’s stuff
•Part of all the cliques
•Everyone feared him-that’s why he had
friends
•Told stories (lies)
 Ronnie Quiller

•Slightly built
•Wore glasses
•Was pushed down the stairs by
Gene
•Enjoyed school and books
•BFF with Peter Irish
 Peter Irish

•Strongest boy in school

•Never used his strength to bully
people
•Stayed out of fights (unless for fun)
•Dated Angela Pine-everyone knew
they were a couple
•Parents wanted them to date other
people
 Pages 5-6 Noon Time Rock Fights
• Strict set of rules:
– Two teams (Union vs. Confederates)
– Each team had a fort-(like capture the flag)
– Couldn’t use rocks larger than a hazel nut
• Before you peg a guy, you have to go chk chk
with your mouth
• Object: to storm the other team’s fort
 Page 6-The day of the last rock fight
• The real story begins-all background
information given
• Peter was acting funny
• Peter was in the bathroom Gene walked in-
– Said he went out with Angela last night
– Acted like he did something with her
• Gene tried to make Peter mad-External
Conflict
 Page 7
• Peter is super mad
• Ronnie tries to convince Peter that Gene was
lying (just one of his stories)
• Peter shares that Angela wouldn’t talk to
Peter this morning-so he believes that
something happened (jealousy)
• Ronnie realizes Peter has been dealing with
the internal conflict of being jealous
 Page 8
• Rock fight begins
• Feint (what is that?)-fake attack
• Ronnie’s job: advanced observation post –He
observed what happens! Baker Post
• Gives details about setting-must be important
• Insert picture here
 Page 9-10
• Peter leaves
• Ronnie’s Reaction:
– He feels sick
– Runs to Able Post
– He sits there shaking-Internal Conflict starts
• Marvin Herold finds Gene’s body
• Ronnie acts surprised
• They all assume Gene ran off the cliff
 Page 10
• Ronnie lies about where he was-Internal
Conflict-doesn’t want to have to tell people
his best friend murdered Gene Hanlon
• Rescue crew arrives
 Page 11
• Police & photographer show up
• Ronnie can’t believe Peter can stand there
and act normal
• Peter and Ronnie lock eyes-Does Peter know
that Ronnie saw everything? Ronnie doesn’t
even know
 Page 12
• Sergeant Gorman starts asking questions
• Ronnie is questioned-he was supposed to be
there – he lies and says he was @ Able Post
• Internal Conflict: Gets worse-Constantly
wondering what Peter knew, but didn’t want
to ask or talk about it (Can you imagine?)
• Gorman will talk to each student alone
 Page 13-14
• Ronnie is questioned
• Smitty: “fell or was pushed”
• Ronnie remembers seeing Gorman pick up
Gene’s cap full of rocks (what would differ
about these rocks?)
• Ronnie said he knows Peter would never tell
on him-this adds to his internal conflict
• Being with Peter, Nightmares
 Page 15
• Ronnie really explains his internal conflict: “I
could never tell you about this until my telling
could no longer get Peter Irish into trouble.”
• Letter was written to tell his father everything-
Wants to come home
• Gorman realized it was Peter: Rocks in hat &
Peter was the only one strong enough
• Peter killed himself-didn’t want to go to jail
 Page 15
• Ronnie feels better-”when Peter Irish climbed
those stairs he did it knowing that I, Ronnie
Quiller, had not squealed on him. That may
have made it easier. I don’t know.”