Way of the Warrior Kid

“Uncle Jake is also awesome because he is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF ME. I am weak—he is strong. I am dumb—he is smart. I can’t swim—he can swim with a backpack on. I’m scared of bullies—bullies are scared of him!”

Marc begins the story with very little confidence in himself and, by contrast, sees Jake as a practically perfect person—as emphasized by his capitalized description of him and the series of antitheses Marc uses to characterize both himself and his uncle. While every word he uses to describe Jake is vindicated multiple times over, under Jake’s guidance, Mac will learn that he is much more capable than he gives himself credit for and that he has the tools within himself to overcome his limitations.

“Even though I know that not being able to do pull-ups and not being able to swim doesn’t make you a bad person, I had had enough. I could feel tears building up in my eyes. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry, so I ran. I ran off the recess field, through the courtyard, and behind the library, where no one ever goes. I sat down, and that was it. I cried like a little baby.”

The inciting incident of the book comes to represent the many humiliations that Marc has endured at school. His repetition of the phrase “I ran,” as well as the list of the places he ran through or by, underscores his sense of personal failure.

“So what is the point in telling her what was wrong? If I did, she would say something like, ‘Well, that boy is just jealous because you are smarter than he is,’ or ‘you’ll get stronger when you get a little older’ or ‘don’t worry about what other people say, because I know how special you are.’”

Marc’s mother plays a very small role in the book in part because—as this passage demonstrates—Marc does not believe she can understand his experiences. Though Marc can recognize the intentions behind his mother’s sentiments, her attempt to make him feel better does not quite resonate with him. The imagined responses Marc imagines his mother giving—e.