“The line between normal and crazy seemed impossibly thin. A person would have to be an expert tightrope walker in order not to fall.” (247)
The memoir Running with Scissors chronicles the childhood trials and tribulations of the author, Augusten Burroughs. After being abandoned by his poet-wannabe mother and left with her unorthodox therapist, named Dr. Finch, and his off-color family, Burroughs finds himself amid uncontrollable squalor that gives way to an eccentric childhood with no rules. This hilariously funny story bravely tackles various controversial topics, such as sexuality and mental illness and turns them into humorous anecdotes. After reading Running with Scissors, one can see that this novel is organized in several discernable ways, such as chronological, point of view, and introduction of characters.
Memoirs are organized in many distinct ways, with chronological order being both the most obvious and the most …show more content…
This is an important aspect because different characters become more important as the narrator grows older Therefore, the introduction of characters is dependent on the maturation of the narrator. For example, we don't meet Neil, the narrator’s love interest, until about halfway into the story. This is approximately when Augusten is in his late teens. Another example is when the reader meets a character named Fern. We soon after find out that Fern is the narrator’s mother’s lover. This new development complicates things even further in a time when Augusten is in his teenage years, which are already arduous enough. Together, these examples assist in the purpose of the novel in that they forge a connection with the reader. While most readers never come into contact with difficulties such as these, they provide common ground in the form of a teenage struggle. Moreover, these additions supplement and add depth to the
The memoir Running with Scissors chronicles the childhood trials and tribulations of the author, Augusten Burroughs. After being abandoned by his poet-wannabe mother and left with her unorthodox therapist, named Dr. Finch, and his off-color family, Burroughs finds himself amid uncontrollable squalor that gives way to an eccentric childhood with no rules. This hilariously funny story bravely tackles various controversial topics, such as sexuality and mental illness and turns them into humorous anecdotes. After reading Running with Scissors, one can see that this novel is organized in several discernable ways, such as chronological, point of view, and introduction of characters.
Memoirs are organized in many distinct ways, with chronological order being both the most obvious and the most …show more content…
This is an important aspect because different characters become more important as the narrator grows older Therefore, the introduction of characters is dependent on the maturation of the narrator. For example, we don't meet Neil, the narrator’s love interest, until about halfway into the story. This is approximately when Augusten is in his late teens. Another example is when the reader meets a character named Fern. We soon after find out that Fern is the narrator’s mother’s lover. This new development complicates things even further in a time when Augusten is in his teenage years, which are already arduous enough. Together, these examples assist in the purpose of the novel in that they forge a connection with the reader. While most readers never come into contact with difficulties such as these, they provide common ground in the form of a teenage struggle. Moreover, these additions supplement and add depth to the