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• Boys Don’t Cry focuses on the Bridgeman family. The main characters are Dante, his brother Adam and their father Tyler.

• Dante's mum died of cancer some years ago. Her sister, Aunt Jackie, is an important influence on the family.

• Melanie Dyson arrives at the start of the book with baby Emma who is 11 months old. Melanie reveals that Emma is her and Dante’s child.

• Secondary characters include Collette and her sister Veronica, Josh, Logan and Paul.

Remember

In your exam you will be asked to write about a character or a theme. If you choose to write about a character, you should consider if and how the character changes throughout the novel.

For example:

• Dante’s growth as a parent, son and brother
• Adam’s injuries and recovery
• Tyler’s changing parenting styles

• Ambitious
• Immature
• Resilient

Dante Bridgeman is a popular 17-year-old boy, expecting excellent A-level grades. He is the protagonist and one of the two narrators.

Dante lives with his father, Tyler, and brother, Adam. The Bridgeman family do not communicate their feelings and often argue.

Dante is ambitious and dreams of leaving home to study Journalism at university, before becoming a journalist. At the start of the novel, Dante is �Բ�ï���� and judgemental, as demonstrated by his struggles to accept that Adam is homosexual.

When Melanie Dyson, Dante’s ex-girlfriend, arrives with baby Emma, Dante is shocked to learn he is the father. Melanie leaves Emma in Dante’s care, forcing him to grow up and combat gender stereotypes as a male teen parent.

His immaturity is clearly shown by his lack of parenting skills and the fact that he calls Emma "it". However, with the help of his family, Dante matures and becomes a loving father, brother and son.

After Adam is assaulted by Josh, Dante seeks revenge. He stops his attack and chooses to return home to Emma, emphasising his growing sense of responsibility. We see Dante’s total transformation at the end of the novel as he announces a key message:

Boys don’t cry, but real men do.

• Vulnerable
• Confident
• Loving

Adam Bridgeman is a handsome, talented sixteen-year-old boy who dreams of being an actor. He is the second narrator.

Adam often argues with Dante, who describes his homosexuality as a "phase" he’ll "grow out of". His father, Tyler, also ignores the fact that Adam is gay.

Adam’s loving, open nature is demonstrated when he immediately bonds with Emma: "I’m your Uncle Adam and I love you".

Adam starts a secret relationship with Josh, Dante’s friend, but they break-up because Josh refuses to accept his own sexuality. Later, Josh commits a homophobic attack on Adam, causing significant facial scars and mental health issues.

These experiences change Adam. Due to his appearance, he hides away from everyone. He then overdoses after receiving a letter from Josh. The realisation that Emma loves him and does not judge his looks, reminds Adam of the value of life.

Finally, Dante and Adam speak openly about their feelings, demonstrating their dynamic characters. This growth is proven as Adam realises that he’s "still standing", re-joining the rest of the family.

• Protective
• Overbearing
• Experienced

Following his wife’s death, 39-year-old Tyler is a single parent to Dante and Adam.

He is presented as a harsh character who never praises Dante’s achievements. However, these behaviours are driven by Tyler seeking to protect his children from repeating his "mistakes". (Dante was an unplanned pregnancy forcing Tyler to give up on his dreams and marry Dante’s mother at 22 years old.)

Despite his anger and disappointment following the arrival of Emma, Tyler takes control of the situation. He buys baby essentials, takes time off work to help Dante, and shows his wisdom by forcing Dante to confront the reality of the situation.

After Aunt Jackie criticises Tyler for never communicating his true feelings, Tyler tells Dante that he loves him and is proud of him. We then see their relationship develop, as Dante says in the last line of the book, "we were a family, and we were together. And for now that was all that mattered".

• Innocent
• Accepting
• Affectionate

Emma is the daughter of Melanie Dyson and Dante Bridgeman. However, Dante did not know she existed until Melanie left Emma with him at 11 months old.

Emma’s arrival transforms the Bridgeman household. Dante must abandon his dreams and learn to parent. Tyler must support Dante with the basics of looking after a child. However, Adam instantly adores her.

Emma acts as the catalyst that brings the family together, forcing Tyler and Dante to grow and express themselves more freely, and helping Adam to see past his facial injuries.

• Struggling
• Anxious
• Rejected

Melanie Dyson is Emma’s mother. She surprises Dante by announcing he is the father. Melanie symbolises many of the problems faced by young or single parents: her mother forced her out of the house, causing Melanie to drop out of education and move in temporarily with her aunt.

When we meet Melanie, she is "panicky", "older", "sadder" and smokes around the baby. Melanie has had to leave her aunt’s house and is moving "up north". It is implied that she is suffering from depression, as she tells Dante "the thoughts in my head scare me".

Wanting the best for Emma, she leaves her with Dante, telling him "Emma deserves to be with someone who can look after her properly". Once Dante has bonded with Emma, he fears Melanie coming to take her back.

• Critical
• Wise
• Blunt

Aunt Jackie is Dante’s mother's sister. She says,

Mum had been honey, whereas my aunt was vinegar.

At the start of the novel she is presented as highly critical of Dante and his family. However her wisdom and caring side is highlighted when Dante is overwhelmed and unwilling to talk to his immediate family. She reassures him: "Do your best, love. That’s all any of us can do".

Aunt Jackie helps other characters grow. She encourages Dante to talk openly with his father, telling him "you are so like your dad". Similarly she criticises Tyler for not showing Dante he loves him or acknowledging that Adam is gay.

Much like Emma, Aunt Jackie is a catalyst for change in the characters’ lives and becomes a positive part of the Bridgeman family.

• Conflicted
• Prejudiced
• Violent

Josh is Dante’s friend. When they first met, Josh protected Dante from school bullies. Dante describes Josh as an ‘equal-opportunity hater’ because he is prejudiced in many different ways.

Josh engages in a secret homosexual relationship with Adam, but he struggles to accept his own sexuality. In public, he repeatedly insults Adam with homophobic slurs and it is implied that Josh had been responsible for splitting his lip.

After they break up, Josh assaults Adam by beating him very badly, resulting in Adam being hospitalised. Dante hunts Josh down and begins to strangle him in revenge. In retaliation, Josh kisses Dante on the lips, forcing Dante to confront his own homophobia. Blackman may be using these events to force readers to examine their own views on sexuality.

After being charged with Grievous Bodily Harm, Josh writes to Adam to apologise, asking him to write back as Josh’s "last chance to feel human". He will serve time in prison for his crime.

Collette

• Childish
• Carefree

Collette is Dante’s girlfriend. She intends to go to the same university as Dante to study Computer Science.

However, their relationship breaks down due to Emma. Collette is still keen to go to university, which Dante can no longer attend.

Veronica

• Professional
• Dedicated

Veronica is Collette’s sister and a social worker. She interviews Dante and is critical of his situation at the start. When she visits again however, she is impressed by his parenting, proving Dante’s growth as a father.

She offers him a range of help, including how to access Emma’s child benefits and add himself to her birth certificate.

• Rude
• Easily led

Paul and Logan, along with Josh, make up Dante’s friendship group. Throughout the novel they act immaturely and unpleasantly, perhaps symbolising toxic masculinity.

On the night of Dante’s 18th birthday party they drunkenly start a food fight in the restaurant, before holding Dante down whilst Josh assaults Adam.

Test your knowledge of the characters in Boys Don't Cry by taking this multiple-choice quiz.