Boys Don't Cry: Plot Summary (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature): Revision Note

Boys Don't Cry: plot summary

Although examiners do not reward you for “rewriting” the plot of Boys Don’t Cry, you will need to know it thoroughly so that you can reference events. It is also best to understand the order and key plot points to understand the overall structure of the novel, and how it conveys Blackman’s ideas.

Below you will find:

• An overview of the novel

• A plot summary broken down into chapters of the novel

Boys Don't Cry: overview

17-year-old Dante Bridgeman awaits his A-Level results as he looks forward to life at university and dreams of becoming a news journalist. On the day his results are meant to arrive, he is surprised by a visit from former girlfriend Melanie, who he hasn’t seen in over a year after she suddenly left school. 

Melanie arrives with a young baby in tow, and reveals that this is actually their daughter, Emma. After leaving to get baby supplies, she calls Dante to tell him she cannot cope with raising a child alone, and will be leaving Emma with him indefinitely. 

The story follows how Dante changes and grows from reluctant father to doting dad, whilst he and his family, his father and younger brother still grieving the loss of their mother, learn to adapt to this enormous change in their lives. 

At the same time, Dante’s brother Adam is faced with homophobia and violence. He has a family who love him, but are scared of the challenges he will face as a gay man. The arrival of Emma and a violent attack on Adam slowly bring the family together, helping them to realise that they have all neglected each other for too long, and truly love each other. 

Boys Don't Cry: chapter-by-chapter plot summary

The chapters in Boys Don’t Cry are presented through the first-person narrative of either Dante or Adam. Dante is the lead character, and the majority of the chapters are from his perspective; Adam’s chapters are often shorter. Whilst their stories intertwine, their chapters also push forward their individual stories, such as Dante’s search for DNA evidence or Adam’s relationship. 

Chapter 1

• Dante is at home alone, waiting for the post to arrive with his A-Level results:

  • He briefly notes aspects of the home that are starting to look aged:

    • This is a cue to how the family have changed and their home life has been in constant decline since the death of his mother

• Whilst waiting, the doorbell rings, and he is shocked to see his ex-girlfriend Melanie at his door with an 11-month old baby, who she says she is babysitting

• Melanie eventually reveals a birth certificate, which shows that she is the mother:

  • The section for the father has been left blank

• The chapter ends with Melanie revealing that this is Dante’s daughter, Emma

Chapter 2

• The story then moves to Adam at the start of the same day

• Adam has a headache:

  • It is revealed he has had headaches since an incident where he was hit in the head by a ball in a “match against Colliers Green School”

• When their dad, Tyler, hears it has been days now, he makes an incredibly reluctant Adam go to see a doctor:

  • Adam is scared of doctors and hospitals, due to his mother’s battle with cancer, so their father takes the day off work to accompany him and make sure he goes

Chapter 3

• Dante stands in shock as he stares at Melanie:

  • He recalls a night at a party they went to together, and remembers what happened between them

Chapter 4

• At the doctor’s, Adam tries to get out of the appointment:

  • When the doctor comes, Adam tries to go in alone, but his dad goes with him to make sure he knows what the doctor advises

Chapter 5

• Melanie is offended that Dante thinks she is lying about him being Emma’s father

• She explains that she didn’t feel comfortable having an abortion, and that whilst she intended to give Emma up for adoption, she couldn’t do it:

  • She was kicked out by her mother and is living with her aunt

  • But her aunt only took her in on the condition that she give the baby up for adoption

• Melanie reveals she has found a place to live, but it is up north

• Melanie leaves to get some baby things from the shops, and Dante is left looking after Emma alone

• Dante’s results arrive, and he gets four A-stars

Chapter 6

• An hour after leaving, Melanie calls:

  • She informs Dante that she cannot handle the pressure of being a mother and is moving away, leaving Emma with Dante

• Dante begs her to change her mind, but Melanie fears she is ruining Emma’s life:

  • She tells him that she sometimes has thoughts that scare her when she is alone and can’t deal with Emma

Chapter 7

• Adam is still with his father and adamant that he will not go to the hospital for more tests:

  • The doctor has suggested a scan and some blood tests

  • He doesn’t want to go to a place like where his mum died

  • He believes that his dad and brother think he was too young to remember:

Chapter 8

• Adam and their father return home to find Dante:

  • He tells them he got four A-stars, and whilst Adam is happy, Dante is disappointed that his dad isn’t enthusiastic enough

• Tyler finds Emma in the sitting room and is shocked:

  • Dante explains what happened

Chapter 9

• Adam leaves the room, but stays close enough so he can listen to the conversation

Chapter 10

• Tyler chastises his son, calling him an idiot and stupid:

  • He tells him his mother always thought Dante was the sensible one

  • He adds that, for the first time ever, he is glad Dante’s mother isn’t around to see what has happened

• They discuss that Dante can no longer go to university:

  • He wants to leave Emma with his dad, but that idea is shut down

Chapter 11

• Adam expresses his shock after eavesdropping and learning that Dante has a child

Chapter 12

• Tyler calls into work to tell them he won’t be coming in, seeing that Dante needs him

• Dante is shocked to hear that Emma will have to sleep at the foot of his bed

Chapter 13

• Dante leaves Adam happily holding Emma as he goes off to research adoption

• He goes back downstairs to Adam and Emma, sitting just where they were when he left

• Adam thinks Dante is lucky, as from now on Emma will always love him unconditionally

• Adam sighs that he would love to be a dad one day, but it won’t happen:

  • When Dante suggests he could settle down with a good woman, Adam points out it wouldn’t be with a woman

  • Dante is dismissive of this, suggesting it could be a phase

Chapter 14

• Adam considers how both his dad and Dante try to ignore the fact that he’s gay

Chapter 15

• When Tyler comes back home with baby supplies, Dante asks both his father and brother if they think she is really his:

  • They both agree that she looks a lot like him, but Dante can’t see it

Chapter 16

• Adam is shocked that his “sensible” brother secretly lost his virginity, feeling a mixture of sympathy for Dante’s situation and a bit of hurt over their father calling Dante the sensible one

Chapter 17

• Dante gets into an argument with Tyler:

  • He expresses his frustration that his father constantly criticises him and never offers any praise or encouragement

• Their shouting causes Emma to cry, but Dante successfully comforts her

Chapter 18

• That night, Dante struggles to sleep:

  • He is kept awake by fear of the future and of the unknown

• Dante thinks back to what happened after the argument with Tyler:

  • Once his dad left the room, Adam was angry at him for how he spoke to his father

• At bedtime, Dante and his dad share a chat that reveals how Tyler thinks his sons do not like him

• Before heading to sleep, Dante goes online and confirms his place at university:

  • As far as he’s concerned, he is still going and will get his life back

Chapter 19

• Dante wakes up and remembers yesterday was real:

  • The pressure of parenting and his new situation gets to him, and he gets angry at his brother and father

  • He only stops when he sees he has scared Emma, and her fear makes him calm down and speak more softly

• Tyler is about to set off for work, saying he will be home late:

  • But seeing Dante’s desperation, he instead chooses to stay home and help his son

Chapter 20

• Dante decides to take Emma with him to the pub for leaving drinks with his friends:

• We meet Collette, Josh and Logan; they are shocked that he has a baby with him

• He pretends Emma is a relative’s child

• Adam is at the same bar and comes over to see them:

  • Josh and Logan tell Adam to get lost and act rudely to him

• Adam leaves, but Dante confronts the pair over the way they spoke to his brother:

  • Josh tells him that Adam gives him the creeps

  • Everyone is uncomfortable, clearly understanding the homophobia

• Emma starts to cry, and it’s enough to make Dante realise they shouldn’t be here and should go home

• As he turns to leave, Logan laughs and calls her ugly:

  • Dante realises she is beautiful

  • He snaps and says he’ll punch Logan if he ever calls his daughter ugly again

• Everyone is shocked and Dante leaves, but is caught at the door by Collette:

  • Dante explains what has happened

Chapter 21

• At the bar, Josh makes homophobic comments to Adam, but then seems to enjoy talking to him and buys him a drink

Chapter 22

• Emma is teething and keeps Dante up at night

• Adam comes downstairs with a split lip:

  • He claims that he fell, but it is implied that Josh is responsible

  • Adam feels as though Dante didn’t stick up for him at the bar

• Adam asks Dante why he’s friends with Josh and Logan, considering how horrible they are:

  • He doesn’t explain it to Adam, but thinks of how Josh stood up for him once when he was being bullied

• Dante warns Adam that being different will get him hurt

• After Tyler comes downstairs and has breakfast with his sons, the post arrives with Dante’s DNA kit

Chapter 23

• Collette comes over and Dante and Emma go out with her on a walk

• Dante feels annoyed by Collette talking about Emma like he doesn’t want her

• At the shop, a woman is rude to Dante about being a young father, claiming he is taking benefits from her taxes

Chapter 24

• Adam reflects on the complex nature of memories and thinks about his late mother

Chapter 25

• An angry Dante refuses to go home and instead he, Emma and Collette go to the park

• Collette tells him that Josh continued to be rude and homophobic to Adam at the bar

• At home, Emma nearly falls down the stairs; Dante gets there just in time to stop her

• He remembers to do the DNA test:

  • When taking it to the postbox to send back, he feels hesitant, but forces himself to send it

Chapter 26

• The next day, Aunt Jackie arrives, their mother’s sister:

  • She lectures Dante, like his father had, about not using contraception and being more responsible 

  • Whilst holding Emma, she also consoles him that while he may have been dumb, he was also incredibly unlucky

• Jackie is disappointed, but not surprised, that Dante and his dad haven’t had a heart-to-heart about how he’s feeling and coping

• Dante is impressed that Emma knows who he is when Jackie prompts her to walk to Daddy:

  • He feels incredibly proud when she does and regrets sending off the DNA test

Chapter 27

• Adam struggles to sleep due to Emma’s crying

Chapter 28

• Dante starts to get into the routine of being a father

• He’s also concerned about Adam, who keeps going out at night and is being secretive

• The DNA test results arrive:

  • Tyler accidentally opens them, and he is very unhappy with Dante for getting them done

  • They argue, with Tyler disappointed in his son, thinking he just wants to drop his responsibilities and go off to university

  • Dante then tells his dad that he has cancelled his student loan and turned down his place at university, which seems to surprise and impress him

• The results show that Emma is Dante’s daughter

Chapter 29

• Dante is now more relaxed with Emma

• Both Adam and their dad volunteer to go for a walk with Dante and Emma:

  • This leads Dante to ask when they stopped doing things together

  • Dante apologises for how he has changed, and then thanks his dad for everything he has done to help with Emma

Chapter 30

• Adam laments the fact that he can be both very happy and completely miserable at the same time

• He has met someone and, when they are together and alone, it’s great, but this guy is ashamed of him when he is around other people:

  • He understands that the guy is clearly ashamed of himself

Chapter 31

• Home alone with Emma, Dante gets a surprise visit from Veronica, Collette’s older sister:

  • She is a social worker and is concerned about Emma and Dante

• Veronica leaves her card and suggests someone will come by in a few weeks for a more official visit

Chapter 32

• Dante is very concerned that Emma might be taken away

• He calls his dad:

  • Dante is warmed by the fact his dad offers to come home if it will help him feel better

• Dante angrily calls Collette about the visit from Veronica

Chapter 33

• Adam thinks about how his new partner is making him feel ashamed of himself and his sexuality

• He ends up breaking off the relationship

Chapter 34

• Dante takes Emma to register at the doctor’s surgery but is turned away

• At home, he finds Emma’s health record book which gives him insight into Melanie’s difficult labour

Chapter 35

• Adam is frustrated because his ex-partner refuses to accept their breakup and is hassling him

Chapter 36

• Emma has her first birthday, with Dante, Adam, Dad and Aunt Jackie present to celebrate

•  A week later, it is Dante’s 18th birthday:

  • He tells his family that any money they would have spent on him should be spent on Emma

• Tyler instructs Dante and Adam to go out for a meal and to a bar for Dante’s birthday, telling them he would not take no for an answer

• At the bar, they are approached by Josh, Logan and Paul

• Adam says hi to Josh, but Josh ignores him as he speaks to Dante instead:

  • Dante is unhappy with this, seeing how Adam looks upset by it, and tells Josh not to ignore his brother

• Adam invites them all to sit with them, which Dante seems unhappy about

• Adam asks Josh if he can have one of his chips, then leans over and goes to take one:

  • Josh grabs his hand and uses a homophobic insult against Adam

• Dante confronts him, and Josh lets go before making another homophobic comment, which makes Dante move towards him with the threat of violence:

  • Adam gets in between them, telling Dante to drop it and saying that Josh is just a coward

Chapter 37

• The brothers walk home, but they are attacked by Logan, Paul and Josh:

  • Logan and Paul hold Dante down, and Josh confronts Adam

  • As he hurls homophobic insults at Adam, Adam kisses him, and Josh flies into a violent rage, brutally beating Adam

• Dante is able to break free and drag Josh off his brother before a neighbour interrupts the attack

• Dante tends to a severely injured Adam

Chapter 38

• Now at the hospital, a dazed Dante speaks to the police:

  • He tells them what happened, hesitating slightly before giving them the names of Josh, Paul and Logan

• Tyler and Aunt Jackie arrive at the hospital, but Dante later overhears a heated argument between them in which Aunt Jackie reveals that Tyler only married Dante’s mother because she was pregnant with Dante

• Dante confronts Tyler about being a “mistake”:

  • Tyler reassures him that he loves him and wouldn’t change anything

• The family are allowed to see Adam, and are horrified by his unrecognisable, battered and swollen face

Chapter 39

• Two days later, the family arrive to see Adam and he isn’t in the ward they expect:

  • He has had to have a further procedure after scans showed he had a subdural haematoma

  • The hospital believe this was a prior injury, likely from the head injury that was causing Adam headaches

  • Tyler is confused, unsure how being hit in the head by a football could cause this, before Dante tells him it was a cricket match and a cricket ball

  • The nurse reassures them that Adam is lucky to have already been in hospital

• Dante tells his dad he is scared he will lose Emma

• Tyler reassures him, tells him how proud of him he is, and then tells him he loves him:

  • Dante thinks this is the first time his dad has ever said this to him, and he makes sure to say it back

Chapter 40

• The next chapter starts with Dante interrogating Paul as he holds him against the ground:

  • It’s a month later, and Adam is home, but severely depressed and reclusive, forced to eat meals through a straw

• Paul is scared and tells Dante that Josh is at Logan’s:

  • He says the police have been to see him, and indicated he will likely be charged with affray

• Paul then tells Dante that he thinks it was all Logan’s fault:

  • He says that after they left the bar that night, Logan kept teasing Josh about being gay

Chapter 41

• Dante tracks Josh down and confronts him, pinning him against a wall:

  • As he thinks about what to do, thoughts of Emma hold him back

• Josh unexpectedly kisses him:

  • This enrages Dante, who starts to punch Josh

  • Josh says this shows that Dante hates “us” as much as Josh does

  • Dante is shocked to realise that Josh is gay

• Dante is still angry, and says this is about what happened to his brother, but cannot get over how much angrier he felt after being kissed

• Josh asks Dante if Adam is going to be ok, and asks Dante to tell Adam that he is sorry

• Dante goes home, and he realises that Emma is his priority:

  • She calls him “Dada” for the first time

Chapter 42

• Adam’s jaw has been unwired and bandages all removed, but Adam is completely changed, never leaving his room and not allowing people in to visit him

• The left side of his face is back to normal, but his right eye has drooped and he only has around 50% vision

• A police officer informs the family that Josh has turned himself in and will be charged with Grievous Bodily Harm:

  • Adam does not react to the news

• After Adam refuses to join the family for Christmas or return to school, Tyler calls their GP to the house:

  • Dr Planter diagnoses Adam with mental exhaustion and prescribes sleeping pills

  • Tyler looks after them so Adam doesn’t accidentally take too many

Chapter 43

• Adam continues to isolate himself in his bedroom

Chapter 44 

• Veronica, the social worker, visits:

  • Dante actually appreciates the visit, feeling supported by Veronica

  • Equally, she is clearly happy with the family setup and how much Dante cares for Emma

• The day before his birthday, Adam finally asks for a mirror to look at his scarred face

• This leads to an emotional conversation in which Adam reveals that Josh had actually tried to kiss Adam the night of the attack, and that his violent homophobia stemmed from Adam breaking off their secret relationship

• Emma enters the room and gently touches Adam’s scarred cheek and kisses it:

  • Adam breaks down in tears

Chapter 45

• Adam reflects on the moment Emma hugged him:

  • It hurt him, because it reminded him of how his mother used to hold him with unconditional love

Chapter 46

• Dante goes to wake Adam for his birthday, but finds him cold and unresponsive after taking leftover sleeping pills:

  • He screams for his dad, who comes running, and tells Dante to call an ambulance

• Dante loses his cool with Emma as she demands attention, the pressure too much for him:

  • He feels himself getting so angry that he clenches his fist, but catches himself and feels ashamed, and comforts his daughter

Chapter 47

• Dante stays home with Emma whilst Tyler goes with Adam in the ambulance, and he calls Aunt Jackie

• Dante finds a letter from Josh hidden under Adam’s pillow:

  • He realises that this is likely what led to Adam taking the sleeping pills, and vows to stop Adam isolating himself any more

• Dante is struck by the idea that he isn’t the first young person to be a single dad at 18, and maybe he could write something to help other young fathers

Chapter 48

• That night, Tyler arrives back home with Adam:

  • Adam is quiet, and heads straight to his room

• Dante goes up to speak with Adam:

  • Dante reveals that he read Josh’s letter and won’t leave him alone any more

  • Adam tells him he can’t live like this, and Dante tells him that he has family and friends who love him 

• They talk about the future, how there will be others like Josh, and that they can’t let people so full of hate ruin their lives:

  • Adam is scared, but Dante tells him his fears, especially about losing Emma

  • He also tells Adam that he’s scared of losing his brother

• They continue to have a heart-to-heart, and they connect, realising how much they love each other, both in tears

Chapter 49

• After Dante leaves, Adam looks at the letter again

• He reveals that he didn’t save up pills for an attempt on his life, he’d stopped taking them because he didn’t like pills:

  • But after being overwhelmed by the letter and how he could never have a daughter like Emma, depression took over and he took the pills that morning, all at once

• He looks at himself in the mirror, and resolves to live better, heading downstairs and into the living room to be with everyone

Chapter 50

• They talk, and Tyler hugs Adam, which causes Dante to start crying

• They sit for dinner, and everyone is happy, laughing now and content with the love of each member of their family

Sources

Blackman, M. (2010). Boys Don’t Cry. Random House.