Blog 2/26 Richard's Identity

- In chapter 16 Richard is caught reading during his job as a dishwasher at the restaurant. The boss-lady scoffs at Richard and he is brought back to memories of the South. From then on Richard decides to cover his books and magazines in newspaper so that no person suspects him of expanding his knowledge. Richard gives in to the wishes of his peers and pretends to be dumb. To avoid being questioned he hides his identity and part of who he is.

- In another instance Richard stands up for himself against Aunt Maggie. She asks him if he's studying for law, he says no and then explains it's for his own personal interest. Reading for pleasure is simply unheard of and many people cannot understand Richard's peculiar obsession. Yet, Richard stands up for what he loves no matter how "foolish" it may sound to his Aunt. I think that we can see, as the book progresses, that Richard is finding out more about himself and attaching those things to his personal identity. He now knows it's okay to love to read and write, to be interested and to be influenced by great writers.