The Heroless Man In The Soloist, By Steve Lopez

In The Soloist, by Steve Lopez, Lopez shows great character through his befriending of the mystery that is Nathaniel, a homeless man in Skid Row. The story reveals the marvels small acts can cause, and brings attention to the issues facing homeless people. Lopez reveals that citizens need to do more to help solve the poverty problem, and that what seems insignificant to one can in fact make a huge difference to someone else. It only takes one act of generosity to make a lifetime of difference. By definition, a leader exists as someone who leads a group of people, so how can someone who worked mainly by himself be defined as a leader? The answer appears simple in fact, Steve Lopez took the initiative to engage in conversation with Nathaniel. …show more content…
Some simply do not want to be helped. This could be a result of a mental issue, or a battle of pride, where they are unable to admit they need help. At times, some mental dilemmas have proceeded to the point of no return, and these patients are paranoid of drugs that could help them. Another major issue concerning the homeless exists as there is no place for them to go if the shelters are full, and the nefarious influences on the streets, where one can find drugs instantaneously. Contributing to the matter lingers the maintained thought of homeless people as the scum of the earth, and not the human beings they really are. As citizens it remains our role to start education about service young, teaching children humanity and the ever important value of giving. We need to promote engaging homeless people in conversation and making them feel welcomed, and human. The more people that initiate acts to protect homeless shelters and other options for these people to go, the greater the awareness, and the greater the likelihood government will take action in the …show more content…
The overused saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” although cheesy remains very notable. One cannot make judgements based on appearance, or you could overlook the raw talent, or inspiring story everyone has to offer. Homeless people come from all types of backgrounds and cannot be generalized. However, the most prominent moral this novel taught me was that one person cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone. Saying hello to a man on the streets may seem insignificant to the other millions of things you do in your day, but for that man it makes his whole day. What I found most surprising was the fact that some people don 't want to be helped, and/or will not admit they need help. Another shocking factor prevails that people can go from extreme success to extreme poverty very fast, one is not born into homelessness. I have a profound appreciation for the people who take the initiative to help the homeless, and go out of there way to make them feel