If I Ever Get Out of Here

George is a young, white teenager. He is large in stature, confident, and possesses a strong sense of morals. His father is in the Air Force, and thus, he and his family move around a lot. Though he is an American citizen, he was born in Germany to a German mother, and he later lived in Guam. He identifies with Germany and considers the German language to be his first. 

It is perhaps this international background that provides the reason for why George is not phased by the racial prejudice that surrounds the reservation and, consequently, Lewis. However, it should be noted that his father had spent time on a reservation in his youth and taught George tolerance of “others.” George appears to be the one white student at school who is uninterested in Lewis’ ethnicity, rather concentrating on Lewis’ character and personality. It is an interest in his father and a shared interest in the Beatles that initially bring Lewis and George together. However, it is also a similarity between the isolated life on the reservation and the military base that brings the two of them together.

Albert is Lewis’ uncle. He lives with his sister, Eva, and shares a room with Lewis. He is physically tough and proud. He is an itinerant laborer, officially unemployed, a Vietnam veteran, and receives disability payments from the US government. He was once a successful lacrosse player, but like all athletes, time and age eventually caught up with him, and he was forced to retire. He continues to wear a leather jacket that his teammates purchased for him after the team won the championship as a reminder that he belonged to them—that they were a team.

Throughout the novel, Albert acts as a mentor and father figure for Lewis. He is always there for Lewis with sound, sage advice on dealing with life, and especially in dealing with the conundrum of balancing the white world with the world of the reservation. He lends Lewis his coveted lacrosse jacket when Lewis is feeling most alone and vulnerable, and he shares Lewis’ love and appreciation of music.

Mr. Haddonfield is an Air Force officer. He is married to a German woman who became pregnant with his child while stationed in Germany. Despite the rocky beginning, it appears that he has a happy marriage. He is a loving and caring father but also strict concerning proper decorum and morals. He is a huge fan of the Beatles and Wings, and it is through this adoration that he spends time with George and Lewis, taking them to a Wings concert in Toronto. Because of Mr. Haddonfield’s parents’ history with Native American boarding schools and his subsequent life on a reservation, he regards Lewis’ situation with feelings of nostalgia, understanding, and even guilt concerning Native Americans and reservations in general. Mr. Haddonfield is the mediator between the Native American world and the white world (Mars and Venus respectively).

Carson is a Native American youth on the reservation. He is roughly the same age as Lewis and is a longtime childhood friend. However, Carson is not a true friend. He does not hang out with Lewis at school and goes to lengths to avoid him, especially when Lewis has trouble with Evan. Carson is the antithesis of George and the stick against which Lewis measures and defines friendship. Carson is opportunistic: He is friendly with Lewis when they are alone on the reservation and when being with Lewis provides Carson with an advantage.