Depression In Drums, Girls And Dangerous Pie

Have you ever seen someone agitated about something? For example, agitated that something awful happened to them or someone they knew? When people are agitated or disturbed, they usually go through the five stages of grief--denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. People eventually become relieved and accept that something atrocious happened. In order to deal with it, they usually do something that will help them cope with whatever dreadful happened. Jeffrey, the main character’s brother, ends up being diagnosed with cancer. During the novel, Steven, the main character from the novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, goes through many problems and fights through this “adjustment” which impacts his whole life. Steven is fighting …show more content…
The definition of depression is feelings of severe sadness and dejection. One example of this stage is when Steven’s teachers ask Steven why he isn’t doing his work in class. Steven at first gives many excuses but eventually breaks down and tells his teachers that his brother has cancer (Sonnenblick 122). In the text, it says, “And I started to be honest - which hadn’t been my pattern for a while. ‘My brother. . . my brother. . .’ “ (Sonnenblick 122). This shows depression because Steven didn’t know how to explain Jeffrey’s syndrome and doesn’t want to, but his teachers keep asking him so he eventually breaks down and has no other choice but to tell them about his brother. He couldn’t handle his all his teachers’ questions. Another example is when Steven was going to brush his teeth but realized that there was no point because Jeffrey might die (Sonnenblick 150). In the text, it says, “ ‘Ok, I’ll brush my teeth now. But Jeffrey might die, so what’s the point?’ “ (Sonnenblick 150). This also explains depression because Steven doesn’t care about anything. In addition, he is starting to have those “What’s the point?” moments in which he is starting the breakdown. Lastly, he doesn’t know what to exactly