"People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer." -Andrew Smith This quote is supported by the experiences of Bernard Cooper and Sherman Alexie. Both authors belong to historically marginalized groups, Cooper because of his sexuality, and Alexie because of his race. However, they each had different methods of handling this marginalization. Cooper hid his differences from the world. He is confronted by both his classmate and his mother about the his sexual identity. Both times he denies it out of fear, and both conversations linger with him. His mother's reaction is especially shocking to him. "My longing was wrong in the eyes of my mother, whose hazel eyes were the eyes of the world, and if that longing continued unchecked...
