Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… in beautiful Orange County, California. Shaun used to spend his days catching waves and partying with his fellow surfers until tragedy struck. After the death of one of friends in a surfing accident, Shaun decided to take his life in a different direction.
Living… in Orange County with his alcoholic mother and his “embarrassment” of a brother, Lance. Shaun is tired of dealing with his dysfunctional family.
Visiting… Palo Alto, California. Shaun, his girlfriend Ashley, and his brother Lance are on a road trip up north to visit the Stanford campus. The academically inclined Shaun has just heard that he’s been rejected from Stanford. After learning of a mix up with his transcript, Shaun and his two companions have embarked on a mission to get Shaun the acceptance he deserves.
Profession… student. Shaun, after giving up surfing, partying, and drinking, dedicates himself to the intellectual life and becomes his high school’s president and star student.
Interests… life's more sophisticated pleasures. Shaun, an aspiring writer, wants to study under his favorite novelist, Marcus Skinner, at Stanford.
Relationship Status… in a relationship with Ashley, an animal rights activist. Ashley has always supported Shaun’s dream of going to Stanford, despite the fact that, if said dream comes true, they’ll be forced apart by distance.
Challenge… getting into Stanford and living an intellectually stimulating life. Shaun doesn’t like life in Orange County, which he sees as a vapid, cultureless void. He longs to get away from his dysfunctional, unhappy family. As he explains, “My father goes ballistic, my mother gets plastered, and my brother burns down a building. It’s like they’ve all come together in some evil conspiracy to prevent me from getting anywhere.”
Personality… intelligent and morose. Shaun believes that the answer to his unhappiness lies in surrounding himself with smarter people. Though, it seems that the high-minded Shaun might be ignoring the love and attention that he’s been receiving at home.
Get to Know him in...
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Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his disfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another starting when his application is rejected after his dim-witted guidance counselor sends the wrong application.
