Hiding Issues

            The narrative continues on at the same pace; however, it focusses more on the life of Milkman. He probably becomes one of the main characters of the book from now on. I found it very interesting to observe how the narrator depicts one of Milkman’s physical problems. For example, he states, “By the time Milkman was fourteen he had noticed that one of his legs was shorter than the other” (p. 62). The approach Milkman took to deal with this issue was very conservative, since he found ways to avoid making it apparent to others around him. I believe that keeping all the problem to himself and not telling anybody about it was not the right decision since that blocks any possibility of receiving emotional, psychological, or even physical assistance.

            In that same description of the problem, the narrator points out, “The deformity was mostly in his mind” (p.62). This is the case in many situations. One judges himself too harshly and starts imagining things that others do not even notice. Milkman probably did not have such a big of an issue, but by trying to find ways to cover up the small deformity, he was making it more apparent to everyone else. In my opinion, Milkman used this physical problem in order to avoid facing his family issues. As we would later know, Milkman could not distinguish the roles of his sisters and his mother toward him due to the great difference in ages between him and his sisters. This and other worse issues definitely affect Milkman and probably made him be more paranoid about how others viewed him. IN this section of the book, we can once again notice the influence that one’s family has not only on his personality, but on his mental health. In order to truly understand someone, it is crucial to know some family history to be able to relate it to the present.