The Boy Who Loved Clowns is a book by June Rae Wood, this book has come to readers attentions, that it was written on accomplice of her childhood. Wood grew up in Versailles, Missouri, the second of eight children. The third child, Richard, was born with down syndrome- which is who Uncle Punky portrays in the book. Back in the “dark ages” is when society didn’t know and/or respect the disabled community. Richard was a “happy go lucky man” recalls Woods, but some kids were afraid of him, so the family reacted by these actions and they encircled Richard with endless amounts of love.
June Rae Wood studied business education at Central Missouri State University, and while doing that she met her soon to be husband; William A. Wood. After meeting, Wood dropped out of college and obtained a job as a clerk typist at a local air base. Soon after that, their daughter, Samantha, was happily brought into this world. That resulted in Wood becoming a stay at home mom. Following those events the family relocated in a rural area of Windsor, Missouri, where Wood remembers, “I was alone all day and the silence was deafening, so I began to write. And for years different publishers rejected her short stories.
Nevertheless, after William died, Wood wrote about her disabled brother and how much he truly meant to the family. When that piece of writing was published and after the emails that were received from all different kinds of people she began to think that she touched a vast majority of the community’s lives. That very moment was when Wood proceeded to write, “The Boy Who Loved Clowns. ” When she created the character “Punky,” she was hoping to get the message across to a targeted audience of children, that people are different.
The primary voice of this book is modeled by, “Delrita” who is a 13-year old girl whom absolutely adores her Uncle Punky and would do anything for him, yet is also “ashamed” by his disability. Delrita’s home life with Punky is truly different from their public life for multiple reasons– people pick on him, and they also like to spy on them when they’re having a good time in their backyard. Delrita always avoided having any type of company from school over to the house, but soon Punky is befriended by Avanelle Shackleford– a classmate who has a familial shame, and a remarkable older brother.
It’s quite important to be aware of the primary voice for a diverse amount of reasons. One reason being, we as readers obtain the information and see everything through the narrator. The narrator has authority– they have to relate to the events being practiced. This is also important because you get an understanding and a feel of what the author might’ve went through and what meant and still might mean the most to them throughout their life. Which, in this particular book is quite true; June Rae Wood had a very similar lifestyle as Delrita and you learn to obtain that knowledge throughout.
As stated above– the overall purpose of this text is to inform the projected audience that people are different yet we have to show love and respect. Throughout this book there are evident examples that Punky and Delrita are being embarrassed because other children aren’t accepting of Punky. Seeing that the intended audience is children and the younger generation, it’s found to be easier to teach them the proper and respectful ways to act, before they obtain the wrong and hurtful ways of treating others as they age. History is known to repeat itself and with the “dark ages” we don’t want that to happen again.
Additionally, with an author who had witnessed a vast majority of these events first handedly seems to make it easier with the understanding of respect and that making fun of someone doesn’t just affect those being made fun of, but their friends and family as well. “People are afraid of change, but things always change. ” I provide this quote to you because not only is it one of the many themes in this book, but it also exemplifies what Delrita and Punky went through. Delrita’s parents have passed, and to her (which is completely understandable), it all happened so suddenly.
No one was ready for such a tremendous change. Going from living at home with lovely parents and an amazing uncle, to living with Aunt Queenie and Uncle Bert, whose house or lifestyle isn’t familiar. Punky and Delrita’s house wasn’t very far from Aunt Queenie’s so they took a stroll to get the closure they needed. The next morning their Uncle Bert had found them sleeping in the old house and told them they could no longer sleep here anymore, he also told them to gather everything they wanted and he would later bring the rest over. As stated on page 13 of this book, “This book is a work of fiction.
Except for Ronald McDonald, none of the characters exist outside my imagination. However, the character Punky Holloway was patterned after my older brother Richard Olen Haggerman. Richard was born with Down Syndrome as was Punky. ”Uncle Punky as you are aware has Down Syndrome, and his niece Delrita adores him completely. However, Delrita comes across as a little “embarrassed” by her uncles disorder. The time period in this book is modern day so you already are aware of the social and cultural issues that the disabled community goes through.
Only once, in second grade, had I made the mistake of bringing a girl home with me. Punky had come rushing toward us in his eagerness to play, and the girl had taken one look at his dwarflike body and his child-man face and ran screaming from the house in terror. I’d cried, knowing I could never have a real friend, and I began to think of Punky as a secret I should keep to myself. ”(pg. 24) This is such a heartfelt quote since people aren’t accepting of the disabled because,”they look different” and some find that to be quite scary.
Although, others like Punky can’t help the fact that they were born with an extra chromosome. Punky is described to be the most selfless person and most kind hearted soul you’ll ever meet and yet people continue to treat him like he’s an alien who isn’t suppose to be here. Some called Punky a “dummy”, and “weirdo” whereas others just laughed. But the Happy-go-lucky Punky never knew when people made fun of him; if someone was laughing he’d laugh with them thinking they were just happy.
Subsequently, the neighborhood kids started to spy on Punky and Delrita when all they were doing was having some fun together in the backyard. When Dad went back to work, I say in the other swing. I soon realized, though, that I wasn’t the only person in the audience. Someone was hiding and giggling behind the shrubs. Scooting off the swing, I told Punky I’d be back in a minute. ”(pg. 26) All the neighbors kept saying was that Punky looked different and they’d given him a devilish look. By this social outcome, it’s hard for Delrita to trust anyone and to make any friends which considers her to be a “loner”. Yet, this is also culturally affected because the public isn’t accepting of other people who look and act different.
Both these quotes show that the acceptance from others is hard and no one truly realizes that the disabled community is just as important and they should all be treated fairly and equally but also be understood and respected. Wood uses a diverse variety of language devices to ultimately keep the readers intact and to get her message across. One device used is imagery, “He just looked like anybody else who had Down Syndrome– Moon-faced, with almond shaped eyes, doughy white skin, and a thick tongue that seemed too big for his mouth. This is portrayed as imagery because it’s painting a clear well rounded picture into the readers minds to understand what Punky looks like.
This is in application to the theme because he’s no different from any other child with Down Syndrome because “He just looked like anybody else…” Another device used is symbolism, “I watched the mileage computer on the dashboard, its numbers flashing red and changing crazily, as if it couldn’t make up its mind. ” This is shown as a symbol because Delrita is always changing the radio, she simply can’t make up her mind about what she would like to listen to.
This is another connection to the theme because not only is Punky different, but non disabled people are different too. The last device used is similes– “I pictured the unlucky person learning the ropes, only to become a sideshow for every little kid who ordered a happy meal. ”(Pg. 158) Throughout this book I took great pleasure in watching Delrita grow as a person and learn to accept how others feel about Punky, but to just ignore it and focus on the good and become stronger. At the beginning there are evident examples of Delrita being embarrassed by not only Punky but herself as well.
When at the end of the book, she was exceptionally strong for Punky when her parents died and they were forced to move. This just shows that Delrita not only thought of herself, but she thought of Punky and his future too. What I mostly disliked about the book was when Aunt Queenie and Uncle Bert came to the house and they criticised the parents about the well being of Punky and that they can’t take care of him, when in reality they did an outstanding job at raising a kind hearted and selfless person who cares more about the happiness of others than himself.
This book didn’t exactly change my way of thinking so to say, I say that because I respect the disabled community with the same amount of respect I have for the non disabled. However, it did bring me to an understanding that some truly don’t realize that others are different and they actually have feelings. So with that being said I’ve learned on how to approach those types of people who are less aware of the disabled and to help them understand the reality of it all.
