Some instances that show the character is a determined person

From the novel I have studied, Catch Us If You Can by Catherine Macphail,
there are some instances which show that Rory is a determined person and his
determination affects some people in his life.

Rory as a young boy demonstrates true grit and determination to look after his grandfather. Rory was determined to care for Granda alone in the absence of home helps and he did not hesitate to make sacrifices, for example, missing out on the school football team. Being determined, from the beginning, Rory made sure that his
grandfather was taken to the doctor for medical checkups and made certain that
Granda took his pills because his grandfather was having lapses
of memory which caused Granda to forget things at times. Rory had also made
sure that Granda had his meals on time which he bought from the baker every
day during his lunch time. His care and determination had caused his grandfather
to love, appreciate and adore him.

Rory is also very determined when he did not compromise his
grandfather’s welfare with anything else by taking him out of Rachnadar, an
infirmary which his grandfather hated to be placed. He ran away from an
orphanage in the Castle Street and had a great escape with his grandfather. He
was very determined to make their escape a success by planning it with his good
friend, Darren. Darren felt pity and felt encouraged by Rory’s determination, gave him the key to his mother’s caravan and let Rory and Granda stay in the caravan after they fled. Granda too was affected by Rory’s determination. He knew he had to be strong so that they could be together. Granda was very sickly but he endured the pain of his wheezing when they were escaping from the police, and the discomfort of the cold when they had to leave the warmth of someone’s home.

The Great Escape got very arduous and tough at times. The police were always after Rory and his grandfather. There was a wide TV coverage on both of them. However Rory and Granda were determined to pull through. They knew they would be together as long as they continued to run. Rory had also made friends with many people in his journey and those people could see his determination to always be together with his grandfather.Therefore, those kind hearted friends helped both of them in many ways. Sammy and Ruby helped them at their own risk and only reluctantly let them go when they knew the police were after them for helping Rory and Granda. Rab, the owner of the petrol station, also made it clear that Rory should seek out his estranged father in Liverpool so he lined up a group of people who could help Rory and his grandfather. As a result of his determination too, in the end, Rory could meet with his father and saved his grandfather from a tragic situation.

To sum up, Rory is the epitome of determination. Granda may annoy him with his irritating habits and forgetfulness but never once does Rory think that he is better off without his grandfather. Rory’s determination has affected many people surrounding
him in a good way especially his grandfather, his newfound friends and his own father who finally came to his rescue and took him and Granda into a new promising life.

(Adapted from Model Pecutan Akademik SPM JPN Kelantan)