Most people know about the ancient Chinese belief of yin and yang. It represents the balance of good and evil in the world. However, yin and yang also represents a person - no one is completely good or evil. Squeaky, the dynamic protagonist of “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara, is a perfect example of this. She has many problems in her life: taking care of her mentally disabled brother, Raymond, and not living up to her mother’s expectation of being the typical girly girl. This makes her tough, confident, sassy, and aggressive, or at least that is what nearly all people define her as. She also subtly shows signs of kindness, and compassion in her own way. No one is entirely one sided - they always are a mix of many traits. Squeaky is no
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Early on the story, Squeaky is watching Raymond while she practices and warms up for the May Day race. Then she sees Gretchen and her sidekicks coming up to her. Gretchen is the new girl in the neighborhood, but she and Squeaky have already made enemies with each other. This is the first year that Squeaky had strong competition and she feels somewhat threatened by Gretchen. Also, Gretchen stole one of Squeaky’s friends, Mary Louise. When Squeaky and Raymond meet up with Gretchen and her sidekicks, they start bullying her and reminding her of the possibility that she might lose, not just the race, but her reputation as the fastest runner in the neighborhood. It also does not help that Squeaky puts much of her self-worth in her running. However, Squeaky hides her doubt and nervousness well, and does not let Gretchen get to her easily. Still, her situation reminds us that while Squeaky might seem super confident, aggressive, and tough, she too has points where she is vulnerable. Squeaky covers up her doubt with confidence in the following …show more content…
Right after Squeaky and Gretchen cross the finish line and the race ends, they have to wait for some time while the judges decide who won. During this time, Squeaky has time to think about and process Raymond’s first run. While Squeaky was running in the race, Raymond was running unofficially on the other side of a fence that was along one side of the race track. Squeaky was amazed at this because she had never seen Raymond run before, and more importantly, he was keeping up with her. She began to see Raymond as more than something to look after, more than a job that she was in charge of. She started to see Raymond as a person with abilities and talents. Then she began to make big plans for Raymond, and was so excited to have someone else to run with and teach. Squeaky openly shows her care and love for Raymond as well as selflessness as to not caring about her reputation as fastest runner in the following quote:
So I stand there with my new plans, laughing out loud by this time as Raymond jumps down from the fence and runs over with his teeth showing and his arms down to the side, which no one before him has quite mastered a running style. And by the time he comes over I’m jumping up and down so glad to see him - my brother Raymond, a great runner in the family tradition. (Pg. 38, Ln. 370 -
Early on the story, Squeaky is watching Raymond while she practices and warms up for the May Day race. Then she sees Gretchen and her sidekicks coming up to her. Gretchen is the new girl in the neighborhood, but she and Squeaky have already made enemies with each other. This is the first year that Squeaky had strong competition and she feels somewhat threatened by Gretchen. Also, Gretchen stole one of Squeaky’s friends, Mary Louise. When Squeaky and Raymond meet up with Gretchen and her sidekicks, they start bullying her and reminding her of the possibility that she might lose, not just the race, but her reputation as the fastest runner in the neighborhood. It also does not help that Squeaky puts much of her self-worth in her running. However, Squeaky hides her doubt and nervousness well, and does not let Gretchen get to her easily. Still, her situation reminds us that while Squeaky might seem super confident, aggressive, and tough, she too has points where she is vulnerable. Squeaky covers up her doubt with confidence in the following …show more content…
Right after Squeaky and Gretchen cross the finish line and the race ends, they have to wait for some time while the judges decide who won. During this time, Squeaky has time to think about and process Raymond’s first run. While Squeaky was running in the race, Raymond was running unofficially on the other side of a fence that was along one side of the race track. Squeaky was amazed at this because she had never seen Raymond run before, and more importantly, he was keeping up with her. She began to see Raymond as more than something to look after, more than a job that she was in charge of. She started to see Raymond as a person with abilities and talents. Then she began to make big plans for Raymond, and was so excited to have someone else to run with and teach. Squeaky openly shows her care and love for Raymond as well as selflessness as to not caring about her reputation as fastest runner in the following quote:
So I stand there with my new plans, laughing out loud by this time as Raymond jumps down from the fence and runs over with his teeth showing and his arms down to the side, which no one before him has quite mastered a running style. And by the time he comes over I’m jumping up and down so glad to see him - my brother Raymond, a great runner in the family tradition. (Pg. 38, Ln. 370 -