Do you think Clay had any regrets? Was he as callous as he appeared? What could he have done differently?

What do you think about Clay's decision not to marry Laura? Do you think he had any regrets? Was he as callous as he appeared? What could he have done differently?

We only know about Clay's feelings from Laura's perspective, and i can't think of anything positive to say about how he handled the whole situation. He probably regretted her becoming pregnant, but only because of how it affected him. He seemed not to care about her, her feelings or what she was going through.

He could have stood by her throughout or marry her; just about anything he did with regard to her would have been an improvement.

It’s hard to tell what Clay was really experiencing. Male teenagers were also pressured by parents at that time. In my case the birth father stayed in touch with me when his parents forbade a young marriage. As a result he has also been reunited with his birth son and they have established a great relationship.

At that time, pregnancy was blamed on the girl. She bore the consequences and shame. For a very short time in VA there was a "special" high school for pregnant girls. They were pulled out of their regular high school so they wouldn't give the other girls "ideas" The fathers of these babies continued at their high schools free to play sports, and live their lives as though fatherhood was not their responsibility. I don't think Clay regretted the impact on Laura caused by her pregnancy. She never spoke to him again nor did he inquire about their son before his death. Her friend who dated him said he never asked about her.

Clay was using her for sex with the age-old promise of love. When she was pregnant, he enlisted and left with his parent's blessing. He accused her of being promiscuous. "Not my baby!" We don't know what he was like in later years so we don't know if he ever thought of this child. He evidently never reached out to Laura again to see how she was. I don't have any positive feelings about him!

No, I don’t think he had regrets. He probably regretted her pregnancy, but he would have only thought about how his life would be ‘ruined.’ Additionally many parents were opposed to any responsibility for their sons.

I agree with mceacd. He was only thinking about himself. Not unusual for a teenage boy.

Nope- not a shred of regret in Clay. All the boy cared about was being able to continue his life as if nothing happened. What maryjaneb wrote above about the special high schools for girls is true. We had one in our district, called a continuation high school; it was for problematic students-mostly boys- but also pregnant girls (pretend they don't exist because you don't want teens actually talking about sex.) I don't think a girl ever returned to the regular high school once she was sent to the special school. Some girls disappeared completely for a few months, and nobody knew where they were.There were vague stories of a parent having a new, temporary job or moving to take care of Grandma - if and when they returned.

Back to Clay. Really, when you think about the attempt at a forced marriage, the whole concept of that seems based on trying to cover up the fact that the girl had sex before marriage.

Sadly, I think Clay and his parents did NOT have any concern for Laura. Clay was only interested in fulfilling his hormonal needs and Laura gave herself to him out of love. Even when she was in the home, she would have taken him back if he wanted her in his life. Clay's parents offered no emotional or financial support. They wanted no part of this pregnancy.

I don't think Clay had regrets. Young man, just wanted to get laid and wanted none of the responsibilities that came after. I would guess he easily moved on.

Their relationship was doomed from the start. It was really only a physical relationship without much of an emotional connection. Clay was already moving on even before Laura said she was pregnant. His path forward was the army and neither he nor his father was going to put his future at risk. We don't know much about him after that summer but if he had regrets, he certainly didn't act on them. All responsibility and "blame" fell to Laura.

If he did we aren’t told. However, from what Laura tells us of him, it seems unlikely.

I seriously doubt Clay had any regrets except that Laura was pregnant. I hated that he didn't share any responsibility for the pregnancy. Why does the boy or man get off so easily, and the girl or woman has to deal with the situation? That's not right, but that's still how it is today.

I was not surprised at Clay's reaction to Laura's pregnancy. His relationship with Laura was shallow. Her parents did not like him. Not surprised that when the going got tough, he bailed. His parents supported his position and his military superiors were singularly unhelpful. I do not believe he had any sincere regrets. He most likely went on with his life and forgot he had fathered a child. He actually dated Laura's best friend while she was at the home.

That is hard to know. We only know that he followed the advice of his elders. The book is about Laura and doesn't get into Clay's feelings. The saying back then was "Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free?" Most parents warned their daughters that all boys looking for sex would claim undying love. Clay may have never cared for Laura.

He probably regretted that she got pregnant.He didn’t seem to care much for her after she got pregnant. He was looking out for his own reputation.

Clay had no regrets based on his reaction to Laura's pregnancy. His behavior was so typical of immature teenage boys. Enlisting in the army was a convenient "out", though it was something his father wanted him to do. The fact that his parents didn't like Laura made it even easier to disregard her predicament. I wonder how his parents would have reacted if they had a daughter around Laura's age....