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Literary Analysis
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Theme & Symbols
Superheros are a common motif in the story, throughout the book Dave kept looking for his "superhero". At first, he thought his father would be his superhero, and will eventually save him from his abusive mother, but he didn't. Soon he realizes that he will have to be his own superhero and that he cant count or depend on anyone. An important symbol in the book is the school. In the early days of his abuse, school is the only place where Dave actually felt safe. A powerful symbol of safety where he can escape his terrible home life. It is also a place where he can get food, and that is important because his mother would starve him for days at a time. Later on, school stops representing safety when his classmates begin to beat him up. Another important symbol is The Russian River, The Russian River is symbol of Dave's childhood innocence and happiness. It was a place where he made happy memories during what he calls the "good times". His mother later corrupted this place for him. But it never truly lost its meaning for him.
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Characters & Plot
The main characters of this story are David Pelzer, Catherine Pelzer, and Stephen Pelzer. Dave pelzer is the little boy a.k.a It'. He is abused by his alcoholic mother Catherine Pelzer, who starved him, made him sleep in the garage, and many more tormenting acts. His brothers Ronald and Stan are not abused. Stephen, Dave's father was an alcoholic as well. In the beginning of the story Stephen was his hero until his mother ( Catherine ) started to get more aggressive and controlling, so he gave up when she mistreated Dave. Dave is disowned by his mother and treated as less than human. She no longer calls him by his name but refers to him only as "The Boy"It gets worse when she calls him "It'". Dave's fifth grade teacher first reported the abuse and then the principal reported the abuse to the police. The story is about Dave's childhood and the terrifying and horrific abuse from his mother and brothers. It describes how his courage to survive saved his life. Dave was determined to survive and refused to let his mother destroy him.