Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen year old boy, has a cognitive disorder and ends up working at his father's law firm after he suggests that he needs “real world” experience. In Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco x. Stork, Marcelo has to overcome multiple personal struggles.
To begin, one of the first internal conflicts that Marcelo had to go through was when he had to decide if he wanted to keep Wendell’s friendship. Wendell states, “I’ll take care of her feelings. There are ways to create feelings or change them or make them disappear for awhile” (125). Although it is not said, it’s abundantly clear that this implies rape. However, since Marcelo doesn’t understand the world like the average person he didn’t know this. He still felt obligated to help because he was told there was a mutual bond between the two boys fathers. As Wendell puts it, “The bond between our fathers extends to you and me. Keeping that bond, that balance of power, is extremely important. We keep the bond by putting each other first above anyone else” (132). Tough decisions had to come when Marcelo had to choose between Jasmine and Wendell. …show more content…
This is seen as the story progresses in multiple examples. As Marcelo says “There is something about the way he feels toward women that seems wrong, but I don't know why” (116). Obviously he doesn’t understand attraction, but later in the story he learns what beauty is. This can be seen later when Marcelo mentioned that, “Then she looks at me in a new way. It is a serious and tender look I've never seen before, and I want to rest my eyes in hers for as long as I can. Then she walks to where I stand, and kisses me softly on my cheek”(312). All in all, he was able to overcome his battle with
To begin, one of the first internal conflicts that Marcelo had to go through was when he had to decide if he wanted to keep Wendell’s friendship. Wendell states, “I’ll take care of her feelings. There are ways to create feelings or change them or make them disappear for awhile” (125). Although it is not said, it’s abundantly clear that this implies rape. However, since Marcelo doesn’t understand the world like the average person he didn’t know this. He still felt obligated to help because he was told there was a mutual bond between the two boys fathers. As Wendell puts it, “The bond between our fathers extends to you and me. Keeping that bond, that balance of power, is extremely important. We keep the bond by putting each other first above anyone else” (132). Tough decisions had to come when Marcelo had to choose between Jasmine and Wendell. …show more content…
This is seen as the story progresses in multiple examples. As Marcelo says “There is something about the way he feels toward women that seems wrong, but I don't know why” (116). Obviously he doesn’t understand attraction, but later in the story he learns what beauty is. This can be seen later when Marcelo mentioned that, “Then she looks at me in a new way. It is a serious and tender look I've never seen before, and I want to rest my eyes in hers for as long as I can. Then she walks to where I stand, and kisses me softly on my cheek”(312). All in all, he was able to overcome his battle with