About Ed Denton
Ed Denton is a senior at Hartsend High School in the fall of 1970 who views himself as the town rebel, Hartsend’s own Steve McQueen. He even drives a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback like the one McQueen drove in the film Bullitt. Ed thinks of himself as mysterious and brooding, though defensive and sarcastic might be more accurate. When asked what he plans to do after graduation, he usually says, “Buy a Harley and see if America’s still there.”
Appearance:
Although Ed is under six feet tall, he appears larger because of his muscular build. He tends to wear jeans, a leather jacket, and a favorite psychedelic T-shirt. He has piercing dark eyes and thick dark hair. At one point, he grew his hair long enough to wear it in a ponytail. That lasted until he spent a weekend with his father Roger (see Backstory and Relationships).
Dialogue Style:
Ed speaks with a slight Kentucky accent, though he takes care not to use local expressions. His speech is full of hippie phrases, lyrics from Bob Dylan songs, and quotes from Timothy Leary. Ed’s favorite Leary quote is “Think for yourself and question authority”.
Personality traits:
Focused, quick-thinking, ruthless. To Ed’s way of thinking, someone is either an accomplice or an enemy. He bases his actions on how he’ll be affected. At one protest, Ed ran when he saw police coming. He got away, but the other protesters were taken into custody. It didn’t win him friends with Hartsend’s small hippie community.
Backstory:
Before 1968, Ed had a very different point of view. His parents, Roger and Imogene, were at the center of Hartsend’s country club set. Ed and his father spent a lot of time together going hunting and fishing. Often, they’d be accompanied by Roger’s friend Boone Hart and his son Buddy. Roger and Boone had served in the Marines; it seemed natural for Ed and Buddy to follow in their footsteps. When they entered high school, both boys signed up for JROTC.
Relations between Roger and Imogene Denton became stormy towards Christmas in 1967. They divorced the next summer, naming incompatibility as the reason. However, rumors began to fly when Roger moved to Louisville and remarried six months later. Imogene began a relationship with the younger (and quite handsome) assistant pastor at her church. For Ed, it was a difficult and humiliating time.
Relationships:
Ed isn’t on good terms with either of his parents now. Prior to the divorce, Roger had great plans for Ed’s future. Now, he’s disappointed in his son and also concerned for him. Ed’s mother Imogene seems to have given up trying to discipline him. Roger wonders if Ed might be better off in a military school.
The country club group, including his old friend Buddy Hart, snubs Ed after his parents divorce. As a result, Ed drops out of JROTC and begins exploring the hippie movement. His connection to Buddy Hart becomes even more strained after Buddy’s brother is killed fighting in Cambodia.
Members of the hippie movement find Ed to be unreliable, so he doesn’t really fit there. His only associates at this point are people who buy his act- and they’re becoming more scarce all the time.
Motivations and Goals:
Initially, Ed is attracted to the hippie movement because his parents hate it. As this becomes his role at school, he doubles down. Protests relating to the court-ordered desegregation of Hartsend High gives him an excellent opportunity to tick off his family. It’s debatable how much he believes in the cause.
Character Arc:
Ed starts off as the stereotypical All American Boy, on his way to military service and a managerial spot at his father’s company. He renounces this when his parents divorce. By the time we meet him in A Death In Hartsend, he’s on a very different path. Like the 1960s activist Abbie Hoffman, Ed is interested in revolution for the hell of it.
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