There are many things in life that contribute to our development as individuals whether it is social, familial, or certain living circumstances. At a young age, we are introduced to new ideas that allow us to discover the many ways in which we are the same or different from others. We are born without rules and because of this, we cherish that ignorance, is in fact bliss when we become wiser. The idea of an innocent mindset maturing into what some may call experienced, is exemplified in one of the stories from the book The Best American Short Stories by Junot Diaz known as “Bridge” by Daniel J. O’Malley, where we experience the beauty of being as pure as a child all over again through a young boy whose name is unknown. The child in the story
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In any circumstance, when we are confronted with unfamiliar situations, we begin to cancel out unrealistic solutions and/or options. This cause-and-effect strategy opens doors to new understandings which is exactly what the boy did. Despite the fact that boys parents disregarded the truth in his story, the boy begins to question what was true to his eyes; the couple diving off the bridge. The image interferes with his activities and he crawled under his bed where he “could pretend that he was in a cave, or that he was a turtle and the bed was his shell” (Diaz 194). Here, we begin to see how the boy can’t help but think of a possible solution for what was real to him since his parent’s conclusion doesn’t seem to make sense. He is now in charge of his own ideas and it starts to take a toll on him. The transition from being ignorant in regards to what happens after one dies is tough for him to face primarily because he lacks experience handling things of this sort. Coming to a conclusion, the boy finally thought “the old couple were birds, or rather they had become birds,” demonstrating that he explored boundaries outside of his comfort zone (Diaz 195). Even with this grand conclusion, we can see the boy’s genuine mindset surfacing as he begins to develop his own conclusion. He assumed the reincarnation of birds, and not a disturbing collusion of human bodies on the ground. In his cave otherwise known as underneath his bed, he begins to grow independent from his parents idea of
In any circumstance, when we are confronted with unfamiliar situations, we begin to cancel out unrealistic solutions and/or options. This cause-and-effect strategy opens doors to new understandings which is exactly what the boy did. Despite the fact that boys parents disregarded the truth in his story, the boy begins to question what was true to his eyes; the couple diving off the bridge. The image interferes with his activities and he crawled under his bed where he “could pretend that he was in a cave, or that he was a turtle and the bed was his shell” (Diaz 194). Here, we begin to see how the boy can’t help but think of a possible solution for what was real to him since his parent’s conclusion doesn’t seem to make sense. He is now in charge of his own ideas and it starts to take a toll on him. The transition from being ignorant in regards to what happens after one dies is tough for him to face primarily because he lacks experience handling things of this sort. Coming to a conclusion, the boy finally thought “the old couple were birds, or rather they had become birds,” demonstrating that he explored boundaries outside of his comfort zone (Diaz 195). Even with this grand conclusion, we can see the boy’s genuine mindset surfacing as he begins to develop his own conclusion. He assumed the reincarnation of birds, and not a disturbing collusion of human bodies on the ground. In his cave otherwise known as underneath his bed, he begins to grow independent from his parents idea of