Tom Locke I’ll admit that when I first read The Forbidden Game trilogy I was not all that impressed with Jenny Thornton’s boyfriend Tom Locke. It wasn’t until I went back recently and reread the trilogy that I realized that Tom was a decent character in his own right. This can be difficult to notice though because Tom isn't present during much of the trilogy. In the beginning of The Forbidden Game trilogy Tom appears as a self confident guy, great student, great athlete, e.t.c. Though it’s obvious he cares for Jenny, it’s hard to get into his character at first. Then we find that he’s basically been running Jenny’s life since he met her when they were kids. Whether this is intentional or not isn’t necessarily clear, though I would guess some of it is since Jenny said plainly in The Chase that Tom wouldn’t let her wear a gold dress that she has with him. Tom seems to take Jenny for granted a bit at the beginning. By the end of The Hunter though, he’s learned to treasure her more. Then he still has the problem of being overprotective. This is when he watches her in The Chase, almost seeming to stalk her at times. He learns during the chase that she’s independent enough to help herself. We don’t see him again until the end of The Kill when Jenny saves him and Zach. We can tell he’s changed though. When Julian has died and the group is standing around and Jenny is wearing the ring Julian gave her, Tom doesn’t say a word about it. He doesn’t seem to mind. Jenny says “He understood.” This is a big step for Tom who before always became awkward or made some sort of statement when he saw Jenny wearing the ring. Jenny puts it this way “He didn’t take her for granted anymore, and he didn’t need to be possessive either. Jenny thought that maybe he had changed the most of all.” So we learn that Tom has indeed changed, into a guy who understands his girlfriend better now and her need for independence. It’s a good change and hopefully one that will continue. Quotes From: The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J. Smith |
Reflections on LJ Smith |
Since 05/30/02 |