Refusal of the Call

In the book, POP by Gordon Korman, we are introduced to the main character, Marcus. During the summer, Marcus and his mother move to a new state where he is unfamiliar with any of the places or individuals. When he arrives to the new town, his only ambition is to make the football team as the quarterback player. Every day for multiple hours, Marcus trains prior to the tryouts, in order to maximize his ability. Marcus ends up making the team as a back up quarterback and when he isn't needed, he is being trained as a linebacker. The Coach of the team soon realizes that Marcus's real strength should be as the main linebacker.Marcus plays most of his high school football games as a linebacker and at the end of  his senior year he is offered a large scholarship as a linebacker; however, he declined the offer. Everyone thinks he is crazy but Marcus sees himself as a quarterback and isn't willing to accept that others think he should  be a linebacker. This is a significant part in the novel because a football scholarship is considered a novelty to members belonging to any team and there is very few given out. 


 "But here, two thousand miles from home, there was a real shipwreck, a real hope. A choice big enough to change our lives forever." - Marcus This quote is also one of the main parts of the book because Marcus believes deep down he is risking a lot by not taking the scholarship and may regret it down the road because the scholarship is a one in a life time opportunity. However Marcus cant find it inside of himself to accept that.