Mitch's Meaning

Mitch constantly asks himself, “What happened to me?” He realizes he was too busy chasing a paycheck over the last decade and a half. This guilt will be a theme throughout the book for Mitch.

In Taking Attendance, we see that Mitch is ridden with guilt for not visiting his professor and for allowing himself to be so consumed in his work that he neglected his promise to visit his professor. The first time he truly feels this guilt is when he sees his professor on the porch prior to his first visit.