Run, Sheep, Run is a short story written by Rosemary Howland that follows Nancy Martin’s perspective on Mattie Babcock, the new girl at school. Mattie seems to be different than the girls and boys at Edison High, being tall and big boned. In the story, she is described as having a plain face, drab hair, and a big toothy smile, which was the main thing that everyone at Edison High noticed. Before reading this short story, I read the title, which is what I usually do before indulging myself in a possibly magnificent book. The title reminded me of a shepherd leading its sheep around, because that’s the job of a shepherd. However, when I started to compare the title of the short story to the contents of the story, I started to think of something
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Although most people have decided to follow it, Howland decided to show people what happens when someone different enters the crowd, and that different someone just so happens to be Mattie. Nancy, the protagonist, was apart of the crowd. She watched Mattie make an attempt to enter because she wanted to make friends. Nancy comes to the conclusion that, “a person would be crazy to toss aside the best crowd in the school. As for Mattie, you can't feel responsible for everyone who comes along. A person has a right to choose her own friends. Hasn't she? You have to let people like Mattie take care of themselves. Don't you?” From Nancy’s conclusion, I simplify it down to her saying, “you can’t always just follow the crowd. You have to choose your own friends, because sometimes, you might not fit in with what everyone else chooses.” And I totally agree with her. Instead of doing what everyone else does, try looking around. It’s okay to be different, you might even find your own click. You could find others who are just like you, and you’d probably be even happier if you were with other people who were never even in the crowd in the first place. So run, sheep, run. Run away from being the same as everyone else. Being divergent is more enjoyable than being trapped in the
Although most people have decided to follow it, Howland decided to show people what happens when someone different enters the crowd, and that different someone just so happens to be Mattie. Nancy, the protagonist, was apart of the crowd. She watched Mattie make an attempt to enter because she wanted to make friends. Nancy comes to the conclusion that, “a person would be crazy to toss aside the best crowd in the school. As for Mattie, you can't feel responsible for everyone who comes along. A person has a right to choose her own friends. Hasn't she? You have to let people like Mattie take care of themselves. Don't you?” From Nancy’s conclusion, I simplify it down to her saying, “you can’t always just follow the crowd. You have to choose your own friends, because sometimes, you might not fit in with what everyone else chooses.” And I totally agree with her. Instead of doing what everyone else does, try looking around. It’s okay to be different, you might even find your own click. You could find others who are just like you, and you’d probably be even happier if you were with other people who were never even in the crowd in the first place. So run, sheep, run. Run away from being the same as everyone else. Being divergent is more enjoyable than being trapped in the