“Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara is a chapter from a book about a girl named Squeaky. She has a passion for running, no matter what people tell her. Squeaky also has a mentally challenged brother named Raymond, who needs looking out for. At the end of “Raymond’s Run,” Squeaky uses the phrase “like being people.” “Like being people” means be yourself to Squeaky. One example, on lines 192-200, is when Squeaky explains she “was once a strawberry in a Hansel and Gretel pageant” and “didn’t have no better sense than to dance on tiptoe with my arms in a circle over my head just so my mother and father could come dressed up and clap.” She thinks “they’d know better than to encourage that kind of nonsense.” Squeaky didn’t know enough than to obey her parents by dancing in the pageant, when really she’d much rather run. She doesn’t “dance on my toes. I run.” Being a strawberry wasn’t what she wanted to do, it wasn’t being herself. Now, Squeaky obeys herself and does what she wants to do. This is a great example of what “like being people” means to Squeaky. …show more content…
Mary Louise still probably likes Squeaky, but she wasn’t grateful, which isn’t being
“Raymond’s Run” is a story by Toni Cade Bambara about an African-American girl known to all as Squeaky who lives in Harlem, New York. Her numerous character traits and values make her very unique and unlike most her age. In the story, Squeaky arrives to the park where the race that she will be participating in will take place. An example of one of her values is, “I squint at him real hard to see if he is seriously thinking that I should lose the race on purpose just to give someone else a break” Bambara (22). This quote shows how much Squeaky values pride and hard work. The example supports the idea of Squeaky’s uniqueness through her values because not many children of that age possess those traits.The character Squeaky from “Raymond’s Run”
She is still the same person she was just a moment ago; snotty, mouthy, and disrespectful. She is shown to have no filter when she says things. Squeaky is referring back to Nursery School when her parents forced her to dress up. She absolutely despised it and thinks “I am not a strawberry. I do not dance on my toes. I run” (Bambara 108). She prides herself on being different from others but does it in a mouthy and unnecessary way. When Squeaky is receiving her pin number from Mr. Pearson, he calls her “Squeaky”. Her thought process is that if she can’t call him Beanstalk, he can’t call her squeaky. “Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, I correct him and tell him to write it down on his board” (Bambara 109). This shows that Squeaky is snotty. She has no problem biting back against anyone and anything. After this, Mr. Pearson tells Squeaky about how Gretchen, her arch nemesis, will give her a “run for her money”, and he even lightly suggests that Squeaky should go easy on her. “I give him such a look that he couldn’t finish that idea into words” (Bambara 109). The fact that Mr. Pearson even nudges the idea of allowing someone else to win makes her offended and furious. Squeaky is even disrespectful towards adults. She is the same person as she was in the beginning and only shows that side of
After reading the story Raymond’s Run by Toni Cade Bombara, it has lead me to make a few statements about the main character and her appreciating the determination of others. The main character, Squeaky, doesn’t take others seriously and is quite arrogant when it comes to her running skills. However, by the end of the story, she has learned that other people are as determined as she is when it comes to running. Not only does she learn to recognize this, but she learns to appreciate it.
Toni Cade Bambara’s “Raymond's Run” fits the coming of age theme because of how Squeaky changes to not being as arrogant, deciding to help others over herself, and having respect for other girls. Squeaky stops being as arrogant and realized that others have talent as well. She always knew that Gretchen was fast but refused to admit it. In the beginning of the story, Squeaky though she was the best at running and everyone else was bad. She shows her arrogance when saying, “I'm the fastest and that goes for Gretchen, too” (Bambara 1). After the race finished, she finally acknowledges Gretchen’s talent when she admits, “...she’s good, no doubt about it” (Bambara 7). The change in the way she views herself and others goes from thinking she was above everyone to having mutual respect for others. Squeaky also
Also, in the story, “Raymond’s Run”, Squeaky and how she is open about her opinions, serious about running, and does allow other people to tell her what she has to be. One quote from “Raymond’s Run” that demonstrates the theme
They pretend that they are something that they are not. They do not think to show their true colors. People should love you for who you are, and not for who you are pretending to be. In the same fashion, “Raymond’s Run”, by Toni Cade Bambara, shows how Squeaky, the main character, just wants to be her true self, and wants her mother to love her for who he is, and not for what she wants her to be, which is a a girl who dances and dresses up as strawberries. “I am not a strawberry.
Around the world many kids have disabilities. In the story “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara, Squeaky’s older brother Raymond, has disabilities. Squeaky loves to run and has to take care of her disabled brother, Raymond. She runs with her brother tagging along behind her. People make fun of her brother, and at the end she wins the race.
Do you think “What we see in ourselves can help us learn to respect others.” The story we read is called Raymond's run and it is about how a young girl named Squeaky is a very talented runner and has to take care of her disabled brother Raymond. Squeaky’s view of her own determination and drive helps her to learn to appreciate those values in others. Squeaky’s revelation about the talents of those like Gretchen and her brother, Raymond, help her mold her opinion and form respect for the both of them.
Although confidence is a good trait to have, too much may blind you from someone else’s talents. The main character of Raymond’s Run is a girl named Squeaky, which is her nickname, who is full of pride and has to take care of her “little” brother Raymond. Squeaky’s main goal in the story is to win the 50-yard dash. She has confidence and pride, but it bit too much of it. Throughout the story, Squeaky changes from an over-confident, narrow-minded girl to a more open-minded person.
In “Raymond’s Run”, it is clear to see that Squeaky walks through life with heavy weights and worries on her shoulders. Not only does she have to take care of Raymond, but she also has to deal with her mother, who does not accept Squeaky for who she is. Squeaky’s mother brings her down by not supporting her and expecting her to be a typical girly girl. When her mother brings her down, Squeaky develops insecurities about herself. She may not realize it, but the sassy and rude way she treats others is just an act to cover up her insecurities. When she acts like she is better than everyone else, she is just trying to hide the fact that she has so many obstacles that she needs to overcome. Just like Squeaky in “Raymond’s Run”, “She Used to Be Mine”, uncovers the act that Sara Bareilles puts on, and reveals her true self. Both Squeaky and Sara Bareilles have different dimensions and layers to themselves. Squeaky is also similar to a flower bud that blooms into something beautiful. By the end of the story, Squeaky learns to respect Gretchen, and by doing that she is gaining a new perspective on life. When a flower bud opens up, it grows layers of petals. Each petal on the flower is like each of Squeaky’s different personalities. Squeaky is still figuring out her life, and she is constantly learning from her mistakes and growing from them. While the flower grows new petals, the bud in in the center remains the same, like the heart of the flower. This goes to show that even when Squeaky is changing, she still has the same, loving heart. A heart that loves her family. A heart that loves Raymond. A heart that loves
Sometimes what you think you want is not always it. "Raymond's run" is written by Toni Cade Bambara. In this story she uses characterization to set the theme.
Squeaky cares about her brother, Raymond a lot and she protects him like a mother. Mary Louise comes with her friends to talk with squeaky, and she tells her how she is not fast. Then she tries to ask Raymond something, but Squeaky stops her. “ You got anything to say to my brother you say it to me, Mary Louise Williams of Raggedy Town, Baltimore.”(Bambara 3) This quote explains how much she cares and is very protective. Rosie tries to be mean and asks squeaky, if she was Raymond’s mother. “ Thats right fatso, And the next word out of anybody and I’ll be their mother too.”(Bambara 3) This explains how squeaky could do anything for her brother no matter what.
When running, she feels like she’s flying, nearly weightless. As if her family members aren’t weighing her down on what she’s capable of, because she’s capable of whatever she sets her mind to. Conclusion: Squeaky finds joy in simple things that most people don't. Running is her escape from the reality of her life of caring for Raymond, and her cruel parents. In the end, she’s still not satisfied with herself, because she’s always craving
Kate Boden 2/16/24 1st period Parsloe Literary Theme Essay Raymond’s Run Theme Everybody has problems in their lives, some people have smaller ones than others. I realized this while reading the short story “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara. The main character, Squeaky, has lots of things going on in her life. I think the theme of the story is ‘you never know what someone is going through.’ I think this because she has a horrible home life, she is under a lot of stress and pressure to take care of Raymond as well.
Raymond’s Run is a short story written by Toni Bambara Cade in 1960. The story is about a girl named Hazel, and her brother Raymond who is “not quite right”. Hazel loves running and she is always first in competitions. She is always looking out for Raymond and takes him with her when she is practicing, and also to the May Day race where Raymond starts running in his own unique style which changes Hazel’s view on Raymond, herself and the people around her.