Dave Pelzer Child Abuse Essay

Albert Einstein once stated, “The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” According to the British medical journal “The Lancet”, there are huge numbers of child abuse and neglect cases that go unreported. Child abuse in modern times is a rising epidemic and the maltreatment of children can be uncovered in different forms which consist of but are not limited to physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and child neglect. According to childhelp.org, “The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect.” Dave Pelzer, an American author and the main character …show more content…
Child abuse is not limited to just physical, emotional abuse and neglect can catastrophically increase suffering and development of a child. Pelzer suffered abuse primarily from his mother. His father was a culprit to his misery as he decided to heed no attention to the atrocious physical and emotional abuse his mother inflicted towards his son. Pelzer was subjected to a diverse range of punishment. Aside from the common hitting and yelling, Pelzer endured torture unheard of for a child. Alienated from the entire family, he was forced to sleep in the garage and steal food from the cafeteria to survive while wearing the same clothes every day. His mother’s inventiveness leads to an increase cruelty in torture such as forcing him to drink ammonia and locking him in the bathroom with a mixture of hazardous chemicals. Through her actions, Pelzer’s mother showed the worst of …show more content…
At that moment, and many other incidents throughout the book, Pelzer perceived that maybe his mother wanted him to die. He thoroughly explains each method of torture his mother unleashes and how it progressively gets deadlier and more painful. His father was the family member the only person he looked up briefly. "Well, you ah... you better go back in there and do the dishes." That statement changed the entire perspective of his father. After pleading for help because he was bleeding profusely from being stabbed in the stomach by his mother, his father emanated cowardice and his only concern was avoiding the wrath of his wife. Pelzer shows the variety of trauma he experiences from pain and agony by his mother to hopeless abandonment and neglect from his father. All equally contributed to the abuse he experienced in his childhood. Through the characterization of his mother and father, Pelzer seeks to draw raw emotion from the reader, making them feel strong emotions, particularly anger and horror towards the family. Even after suffering pain and abuse for many years, Pelzer lived to become a well-rounded