Flush

Paine is the father of Noah and Abbey and the husband of Donna. He is an idealist who champions a variety of causes related to protecting the environment. Because Paine cares so deeply about ecological destruction and animal abuse, he lets his feelings run away with him and engages in impulsive and illegal behavior.

His misguided attempt to stop Dusty Muleman from dumping human waste into the bay by burning his casino boat lands Paine in jail. Although Paine feels justified in taking extreme actions, his behavior puts a strain on his family. By the end of the story, he learns to temper his fiery enthusiasm and tries to find more constructive solutions to environmental problems. 

Dusty was once Paine’s equal since they both started out as fishing guides, but he engages in underhanded deals that have allowed him to prosper and open a gambling casino on Indian lands. Dusty wants to be a bigshot and uses blackmail and bribery to achieve his ends. His appalling lack of concern for the environment is evidenced by his willingness to empty human waste from the casino’s toilets into a national marine sanctuary, thereby endangering marine life as well as the children who swim at local beaches.

Dusty’s greed finally catches up with him when his casino burns. He is sued for embezzlement and hounded by the IRS. His character doesn’t experience any growth over the course of the novel, but his illegal activities are brought to an end.  

·      Noah—Noah is Paine’s teenage son. Although the story is narrated from his perspective, Noah doesn’t spend much time describing himself. He’s far more concerned with tempering his father’s extreme behavior. Though he disagrees with Paine’s radical methods, Noah also believes that harming the environment is bad. With Abbey and Shelley’s assistance, Noah succeeds in shutting down Dusty’s illegal operation for good. 

·      Abbey—Abbey is three years younger than Noah but gets along well with her older brother. She has a fiery temper and is prone to bite people who try to harm her. Because of her good rapport with Noah, she helps him in his attempts to stop Dusty’s waste dumping operation.

·      Donna—Donna is Paine’s no-nonsense wife and Noah and Abbey’s mother. She is the family anchor and acts as the voice of reason when her husband gets carried away by one of his many crusades for justice. Her job as a legal secretary also provides the family’s much-needed income while her husband is incarcerated.

·      Grandpa Bobby—Bobby is Paine’s father. After disappearing in South America a decade earlier, he is presumed dead until he turns up unexpectedly at the moment when Noah and Abbey need him most. After helping his family defeat Dusty’s evil scheme, Bobby goes off in search of his stolen charter boat, with plans to return when he finds it.