Review of Hope’s Boy
Priscilla Hope Bridge attempted to raise her child the best she could with what she had and what she knew. Unfortunately, what she had and what she knew was not enough. Her son, Andy, was four years when he first left her to live with his grandmother. He was around five-and-a-half years when he was returned to her and seven when he said his final goodbye. These volatile years brought much conflict and heartache for Andy and Hope.
Hope, who is described as a “selfish, impulsive and irresponsible” person, finds her life choices to bring a great deal of stress into hers and Andy’s world (Bridge, 2008, p. 59). Hope first dropped out of high school in the tenth grade. She was sixteen when she left home and was married …show more content…
She had two abusive relationships with men, Wade who was physically abusive and Louis who was both physically and sexually abusive. The divorce with Wade was not amicable and left her a young single mother with no support (Bridge, 2008, p. 66). No matter the stressors in Hope’s life, be it divorce, abusive men or financial duress, nothing could challenge her, imprison her, like her mental illness did. Hope fought many battles with the little arsenals she had, but this adversary, this demon, was one she could not conquer alone, if at all. This was her primary risk factor for child maltreatment from a parental level (Crosson-Tower, 2010, p. 232). Andy describes his mother’s mental illness as, “her mind had burst its boundaries, failing her and me” (Bridge, 2008, p. 59). The voices started slowly and quietly and eventually took over her mind, body and soul. She would keep Andy up at night as she fought aloud with the voices in her head (Bridge, 2008, p. 205). The voices eventually requested she prove herself by cutting her arms and writing “Andy” on the bathroom walls with her blood (Bridge, 2008, p. 216). In her mind, she could no longer protect Andy at night and he needed to be locked in a dark closet to sleep on the floor for safety (Bridge, 2008, p. 276). Towards the end, a stray cat replaced Andy. This was the first time Hope had ever raised her hands towards Andy. Andy had only wanted to …show more content…
Although his life at the Leonard’s was not flawless, he was cared for. Mrs. Leonard turned away many children, Jenny and Jason come to thought, but yet changed her license through child protective services to keep Andy as a permanent foster child (Bridge, 2008, pp. 162, 340, 435). Andy continued to struggle with the heartache his life has brought him and even turns to intentional physical pain to ease the burden. He cut his foot on a rock by the Leonard’s pool and noted, “A Band-Aid would have been useless, and asking for one would have meant surrendering the wound, its creation, and its pain”, “the single source of pain that now returned, to the exclusion of every other” (Bridge, 2008, pp. 366,
Priscilla Hope Bridge attempted to raise her child the best she could with what she had and what she knew. Unfortunately, what she had and what she knew was not enough. Her son, Andy, was four years when he first left her to live with his grandmother. He was around five-and-a-half years when he was returned to her and seven when he said his final goodbye. These volatile years brought much conflict and heartache for Andy and Hope.
Hope, who is described as a “selfish, impulsive and irresponsible” person, finds her life choices to bring a great deal of stress into hers and Andy’s world (Bridge, 2008, p. 59). Hope first dropped out of high school in the tenth grade. She was sixteen when she left home and was married …show more content…
She had two abusive relationships with men, Wade who was physically abusive and Louis who was both physically and sexually abusive. The divorce with Wade was not amicable and left her a young single mother with no support (Bridge, 2008, p. 66). No matter the stressors in Hope’s life, be it divorce, abusive men or financial duress, nothing could challenge her, imprison her, like her mental illness did. Hope fought many battles with the little arsenals she had, but this adversary, this demon, was one she could not conquer alone, if at all. This was her primary risk factor for child maltreatment from a parental level (Crosson-Tower, 2010, p. 232). Andy describes his mother’s mental illness as, “her mind had burst its boundaries, failing her and me” (Bridge, 2008, p. 59). The voices started slowly and quietly and eventually took over her mind, body and soul. She would keep Andy up at night as she fought aloud with the voices in her head (Bridge, 2008, p. 205). The voices eventually requested she prove herself by cutting her arms and writing “Andy” on the bathroom walls with her blood (Bridge, 2008, p. 216). In her mind, she could no longer protect Andy at night and he needed to be locked in a dark closet to sleep on the floor for safety (Bridge, 2008, p. 276). Towards the end, a stray cat replaced Andy. This was the first time Hope had ever raised her hands towards Andy. Andy had only wanted to …show more content…
Although his life at the Leonard’s was not flawless, he was cared for. Mrs. Leonard turned away many children, Jenny and Jason come to thought, but yet changed her license through child protective services to keep Andy as a permanent foster child (Bridge, 2008, pp. 162, 340, 435). Andy continued to struggle with the heartache his life has brought him and even turns to intentional physical pain to ease the burden. He cut his foot on a rock by the Leonard’s pool and noted, “A Band-Aid would have been useless, and asking for one would have meant surrendering the wound, its creation, and its pain”, “the single source of pain that now returned, to the exclusion of every other” (Bridge, 2008, pp. 366,