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In the memoir, Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos, when Gantos was at the Federal Prison in Ashland, Kentucky, he had to learn the importance of meting good friends who listen, support him, and guide him to make wiser decisions in his life. Gantos had the opportunity to meet Mr. Bow, the food service worker, and Mr. Casey; three worthy influencing people. Like Gantos, we could find good friends even if we are under the badness circumstance.
The first day Gantos entered the Federal Prison in Ashland, Kentucky, Mr. Bow spotted lice in his hair; as consequence, he had to put him on a private yellow cell (Gantos 154). Gantos described Mr. Bow, who was the physician’s assistant, “a big man, with a head as wide as his shoulders” (Gantos 161 – 162). Mr. Bow’s good-man appearance made Gantos caring about him. When Gantos was lice-free, he did not want to live around the others convicts, thus, he asked Mr. Bow for a job. Mr. Bow offered him a job as the X-ray tech; also told Gantos that he could live in the same private area and become part of the hospital staff if he accepted (Gantos 162 – 163). As many months went by in prison, Mr. Bow and Gantos had stick to each other, and had a good relationship.
After spending a few days in prison, Gantos was feeling like “a cricket trapped in a box” (Gantos 158); when the food service worker saw him walking around his cell and felt sorry for him. For this reason, the worker brought Gantos a pad of papers, envelopes, a pencil, and some books, including The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. Thanks to the food service worker, Gantos began to use the Karamazov as his journal (Gantos 158). And thanks to the food service worker, Gantos could send his first letter to the judge and told him to reduce his sentence to time served, also explained he had lice, “fully realized his mistakes”, and had been “scared straight” (Gantos 158 – 159). Gantos did not mention the food service worker again neither his name, however, this person sneakily had one of the major roles in Hole in My Life.
The last helpful person that supported Gantos in the penitentiary was Mr. Casey: “A young and yet beaten down by the brutal atmosphere and the frustration of trying to help people in pretty hopeless situations” (Gantos 190 – 191). When Gantos was desperate for getting out of prison, he planned every escape possible but no one good enough to make it come true. Until one day, his former caseworker, Mr. Wilcox, retired, and he met the new one: Mr. Casey (Gantos 190). Mr. Casey was the one who typed up Gantos’ school application, wrote a check for the application fee, and sent it back to the school (Gantos 192). Perhaps, Gantos could not have got out of prison by time, without Mr. Casey’s priceless help.
Sometimes life put us in a very difficult situation and made us feel like we are under a heavy storm. Then, by God Mercy, we could find good friends who support us, even if the storm did not seem to stop. When those friends guide us and we learn how to manage the situation, feels like we are dancing in the rain. Does not matter if we are in jail, like Gantos was, it is how to learn to dance with those friends during the rain that made the situation easy to handle.
☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi
After spending a few days in prison, Gantos was feeling like “a cricket trapped in a box” (Gantos 158); when the food service worker saw him walking around his cell and felt sorry for him. For this reason, the worker brought Gantos a pad of papers, envelopes, a pencil, and some books, including The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. Thanks to the food service worker, Gantos began to use the Karamazov as his journal (Gantos 158). And thanks to the food service worker, Gantos could send his first letter to the judge and told him to reduce his sentence to time served, also explained he had lice, “fully realized his mistakes”, and had been “scared straight” (Gantos 158 – 159). Gantos did not mention the food service worker again neither his name, however, this person sneakily had one of the major roles in Hole in My Life.
The last helpful person that supported Gantos in the penitentiary was Mr. Casey: “A young and yet beaten down by the brutal atmosphere and the frustration of trying to help people in pretty hopeless situations” (Gantos 190 – 191). When Gantos was desperate for getting out of prison, he planned every escape possible but no one good enough to make it come true. Until one day, his former caseworker, Mr. Wilcox, retired, and he met the new one: Mr. Casey (Gantos 190). Mr. Casey was the one who typed up Gantos’ school application, wrote a check for the application fee, and sent it back to the school (Gantos 192). Perhaps, Gantos could not have got out of prison by time, without Mr. Casey’s priceless help.
Sometimes life put us in a very difficult situation and made us feel like we are under a heavy storm. Then, by God Mercy, we could find good friends who support us, even if the storm did not seem to stop. When those friends guide us and we learn how to manage the situation, feels like we are dancing in the rain. Does not matter if we are in jail, like Gantos was, it is how to learn to dance with those friends during the rain that made the situation easy to handle.
☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi
Gantos,
Jack. Hole in My Life. New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. Print.
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