billy ray

Billy Ray Jr.
Many of today’s youth seem confident, cocky and maybe even smart alecks but in the case of Billy Ray Jr. in Earnest Thompson’s On Golden Pond it is only skin deep. Even though Billy seems to have all these traits when he is first introduced to the Thayer’s, his friendship with Norman changes him much like winter changes to spring. As the summer progresses so does Billy’s maturity and sensitivity.
When Norman and Billy first meet Norman does what he does best and intimidates everyone, everyone except Billy that is. Billy as confident as he is stands up to Norman something that few else will do and Norman respects him for it. On several occasions he shows his confidence, this can be seen when he takes Norman’s and Ethel’s boat for a ride by himself. Another instance is towards the beginning of the story where he shows his willingness to go “skinny dipping” with his dad’s girlfriend Chelsea which takes a great deal of confidence.
Another one of Billy’s character traits is his intelligence. Although Norman pushes books on Billy he reads them and later on you see Billy starts to read on his own time. Billy also has an intelligent mouth because he often uses slang like “Sucking face” and often uses swear words that him and Norman often exchange