“Any kid wanted to have a dad who was brave and respected and famous, no doubt. And a hero, throw that in, too. Yet more than anything, Zach just wanted his dad to be home.”

Teenagers, their lives already in disarray from the rapid changes they undergo, crave stability at home. Zach struggles whenever his dad is away on a job—he doesn’t know exactly what his father does, but it seems dangerous—and his life remains unsettled until his dad returns.

“Senator Kerrigan began by talking specific issues, about war and immigration and the economy. But then he shifted to the difference in life between talking tough and actually being tough, about courage and honor and doing the right thing and trusting your instincts and never wavering on your core beliefs. It was all in the context of talking about America, but somehow Zach felt as if the senator were talking directly to him.”

Since the death of his father, something is changing inside Zach. First, he stands up to the school bully; now, he hears the senator’s words as a personal call to arms. He’s beginning to shift, both physically and emotionally, into the role of superhero left vacant by his father.

“Tom Harriman was smart enough to know that a person can never escape his or her identity […]. You can try to ignore it, but you can’t hide from it. Tom Harriman hid from no one.”

A primary challenge in life is to know oneself and one’s true purpose. Senator Kerrigan, whose running mate would have been Tom Harriman, memorializes Tom as a person of integrity who helped inspire Kerrigan to redouble his efforts on behalf of his country. The words help point Zach toward his own proper destiny, a life of heroism for the good of others.