Everything Will Be Okay By James Lee Analysis

In the story, “Everything Will Be Okay,” by James Howe, the main character tells the story through his eyes and from reading about him it's clear that he doesn't care what anybody thinks of him and he’s like an outsider and the boy does what he thinks is right.
It was undeniable that the boy is an outsider, and doesn’t act like his family and friends. In the beginning of the story, the boy was in the woods and he saw an ill, starving kitten with wood and burs caught in places that the kitten still had fur. The boy was thankful that he was by himself. His friends, or people that he just played with because they lived on the same street, would not have felt sorry for the kitten. If anything, they would have abused it. Their idea would probably …show more content…
The boy said,” I’m not a man, I don’t want to be.” So after all the commotion, the boy decided he will never act like Paul and his daydream of him being like Paul died. Now Paul motivates the boy to never be like him. So again, the scene shows that he doesn’t act like the people around him because his mindset is different because he decides what the right thing to do is, not somebody else. Not only is he not going to be like Paul, but also he does not want to be like his other brothers and his father. His family’s idea of being “a man,” is being strong, emotionally and physically, and do things like hunting. They also wanted the boy to learn how to play golf, but after the situation about the kitten when it went to the Vet, the boy doesn’t want to be like his brothers and father. At the end of the story, Paul, the boy, their mother, and father were sitting at the table and eating dinner. Paul was talking about taking the boy to the driving range to teach the boy how to hit a golf ball. The boy was thinking,”I won’t go with him. I don’t want him teaching me anymore.” So he gets up from the table and goes into the living room without any hesitation. Their he thinks about how he will never work at the Vet, how he will never go …show more content…
When the boy was walking in the woods and saw the ill, starving kitten, his gut was telling him to take care of the kitten and not to abandon it. Even though he knew his family and friends would not have done that and would have left it or hurt the kitten or abandon it, but he followed his gut instinct and cared for the kitten. This is significant because the boy stays true to himself and what he should do in a situation, not anybody else's thoughts. After the boy got the kitten home, Paul and the boy went to the Vet. Paul wanted to put the kitten to sleep, but the boy knew he shouldn’t put the kitten down to sleep. His brother was telling him that he had to, but the boy knew it would be wrong if he put the kitten to sleep. So he argued with him because that's what the boy thought was the right thing to do. So again, he thought for himself because he stayed true to his instincts. Finally, the boy uses his gut on a very difficult decision. At the end of the story, the boy thought back on what happened that day. He knew he should never just do what his family says is right. He thought that he should choose who he wants to be. He will get to have his own way of life and he says,”I will decide for myself what kind of boy I am, what kind of man I will become.” Even though his family doesn’t support him not being their idea of a man, the boy doesn’t care