A Child Called It Essays

A Child Called It Essays A Child Called It Essay A Child Called It Essay A Child Called It is a first-person narrative of a severely abused child, Dave Pelzer, who has survived to tell his tale. This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures Daves mother inflicted on him, told from his point of view as a young boy. Among the cruel games Daves maniac, alcoholic mother played were smashing him face-first into mirrors, forcing him to eat the contents of his baby brothers diaper, drinking ammonia, and burning him over a gas stove. Daves story has two objectives: the first is to inform the reader how a loving, caring parent can change to a cold, abusive monster venting frustrations on a helpless child; the second is the eventual survival and triumph of the human spirit over seemingly insurmountable odds (164). Dave describes his earlier years as idyllic: In the years before I was abused, my family was the Brady Brunch of the 1960s. My two brothers and I were blessed with the perfect parents. Our every whim was fulfilled with love and care (17). His mothers behavior began to change drastically and Dave and his brothers had become afraid of her. Eventually, Dave was singled out for such vicious treatment. His mother made sure he knew that theres nothing he can do to impress her. She told him, you are a nobody! An It! You are nonexistent! You are a bastard child! I hate you and I wish you were dead! Dead! (140) School held no appeal to Dave either: At school I was a total outcast. I had no one to talk to or play with. I felt all alone (58). Since his mother rarely gave him the luxury of eating food, Dave resorted to stealing from his classmates lunch pails. The teachers and principal knew and carefully watched him. Oddly, his father never intervened. His attempts to talk to his wife about Dave failed, and only worsened the abuse. This caused Dave to hate his father: he was fully aware of the hell I lived in, but he lacked the courage to rescue me as he had promised so many times in the past (134). As the beatings and the torture continued, Dave began to give up: With no dreams, I found that words like hope and faith were only letters, randomly put together into something meaningless-words only for fairy tales (132). Inside, my soul became so cold I hated everything (133). Whats your single greatest accomplishment and why? Im so alive (155). My life as a child was extremely turbulent, being pushed and pulled in every direction. I tried as hard as I could to reach the light at the end of the dark tunnel, but it always seemed out of reach. Until suddenly, without warning, I broke free (156). What was your biggest obstacle? How did you overcome it? My mothers abusing me was no doubt my biggest obstacle. I hated Mother most and wished that she were dead. But before she died, I wanted her to feel the magnitude of my pain and my loneliness for all these years (134). As the years passed by and the beatings became more intense, I wished shed returned with a knife and ended it all.. My morale had become so low that in some self-destructive way I hoped she would kill me (141). But I made a promise to myself that kept me going. I wanted to show The Bitch that she could beat me only if I died, and I was determined not to give in, even to death (91). What one trait or characteristic would you most like to be remembered for? Why? I would definitely most like to be remembered for my resilience. Perhaps my faith and the security of my early years helped me develop enough resilience to survive the abuse and grow up to be an emotionally healthy adult with a child of my own. The challenges of my past have made me immensely strong inside. I adapted quickly, learning how to survive from a bad situation. I learned the secret of internal motivation. My experience gave me a different outlook on life, that others may never know. I have a vast appreciation for things that others may take for granted.. I hope that my story will help instill resilience in others. What was the single, most important thing youve learned? Why do you consider this so? The single, most important thing Ive learned from my past hardships was that even in its darkest passages, the heart is unconquerable. It is important that the body survives, but it is more meaningful that the human spirit prevails (165). I believe that no matter what happens in your past, you can overcome the dark side and press on to a brighter world. It is perhaps a paradox that without the abuse of my past, I might not be what I am today (166). My Reaction: I read A Child Called It in one day. Its one of those books you cant put down because you want to know whats going to happen next. I was always in constant suspense as to what Daves emotionally unstable mother was going to do to him and how he was going to survive the abuse. This book really sunk into my heart and the imagery used in the book helped put a clear picture of the dysfunctional household Dave lived in. The fact that this is a true story and millions of children suffer from the same ordeal saddens me. Also, the fact that he remembers all those horrible things that he went through in the past, in detail, is very sad. Im glad that Dave triumphed not only in finding a better, loving family, but also within himself. If I was in his shoes, I dont think Id be able to make it where he is today. His story truly changed my perspective on life. I realized how lucky I am to belong to a nice, tight-knit family and that I have it good compared to most people.