Raymond’s Run (handout edition) - Essay
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. In my essay I would like to analyze the main character, setting, language, theme and finally compare to other similar texts.
Raymond’s Run is told by a first-person narrator who also happens to be the story’s protagonist. The protagonist is named Hazel but bears the nickname “Squeaky” because she is skinny and with a squeaky voice. She’s a black girl from a poor environment and spends most of her time looking out for her brother Raymond and practicing running. Hazel has a negative view on other people, especially Gretchen and her “clique”, which is clearly pointed out by the way she thinks about them and talks to them. She also states that she does not like fake things and people trying to be someone they are not, “…trying to act like a fairy or a flower or whatever you’re supposed to be when you should be trying to be yourself ” p. 2 ll. 42-43. Hazel prefer fighting before arguing, thus knowing she is skinny and not very strong. She says that the big kids call her “Mercury” because she is so fast. The fact that she is able to develop her vision on others, and the thoughts she is making about her surroundings makes her a round and dynamic character. The story takes place in New York, Manhattan at Broadway and at May Day “in the park” (The story never mentions which park). It is hard to tell when the story takes place because there is no certain signs, but it probably