Going Beyond the Pain in Chris Crutcher's StotanHigh school classmates and swim team members Walker, Nortie, Lion and Jeff accept the challenge of participating in Stotan week, a week of rigorous swimming, a workout that pushes them beyond physical pain and tests their moral fiber, changing their lives forever. In Chris Crutcher's novel Stotan, a team of teenagers and best friends prepare for what will be the most difficult week of their lives mentally, physically and emotionally. A “Stotan” is a cross between a Stoic and a Spartan. Through this period of difficulty they learn about friendships, relationships, dealing with cancer, racism and physical abuse. Each of the four best friends learns more and more from each other and helps each other when they need help. They come together as a group, team and family. Each of them has a tremendous conflict that cannot be resolved with the help of just one person. Everyone helps each other mend emotional scars if one of them were to suffer. They all have one thing in common: they all want to give their best and be so determined. In Chris Crutcher's Stotan four boys Walker, Jeff, Nortie and Lion experience a time of emotional and physical turmoil and the only way to overcome these barriers is to unite as a team with determination in mind. One of the teammates with a conflict that needed to be resolved is Lion. Leone lives alone in a tiny apartment with a stove. Sometimes he feels lonely and the only things that keep him from getting depressed are swimming and being with his best friends Walker, Jeff and Nortie. They never talk about Lion's life, but he knows that they live him for what he is not because... middle of the paper... because of this amazing unity of the team Nortie is still alive. In Stotan By Chris Crutcher's four boys, Walker, Jeff, Nortie and Lion, experience a time of emotional and physical turmoil and the only way to overcome these barriers is to unite as a team with determination in mind. Lion was suffering from depression, Jeff was dying, Nortie was suffering mentally, and Walker was suffering emotionally, but as a team they all came together and solved everyone else's problems. The unity of the team was incredible and helped save a life and solve problems. Determination has also helped high school seniors, preventing them from slipping or falling while climbing the mountain of success. The four team members overcame a mentally and physically exhausting week of pain by coming together as a team with the determination in mind to push themselves to the max.