A Summer’s Reading

     He was ashamed of not having a formal education, but his character was not strong enough to handle a situation that involved sitting and studying with younger kids. He had a further difficulty: he could not get a job because he had not graduated from high school. So, he had no money to spend except for a few bucks that were given to him by his older sister, Sophie, every now and then.

     Mr. Cattanzara spread the rumor that George was reading, and George felt approval(respect and recognition) wherever he went. People smiled at him and whispered that he was a good boy. His sister Sophie even gave him an allowance of a dollar a week. George felt elated(very pleased). He felt that people respected him. He stopped hiding in his room all day; instead he wandered in the streets. He even skipped the park, as he didn’t need it any more. Everything changed. The people didn’t seem as awful as they had been before, and even the neighborhood seemed nicer. (It was a reflection of his inner feelings).

     Nevertheless, this good time couldn’t last for ever. George had to justify his reputation. He was afraid to encounter Mr. Cattanzara for he feared that the change maker might ask him questions about the books he was supposed to be reading. So, he began to avoid him. He began to feel obsessed and he was helpless as he didn’t know how to solve the embarrassing problem.

     Once, George met Mr. Cattanzara while the latter was drunk. Not being sober, Mr. Cattanzara didn’t control himself and said whatever he felt like, namely the truth. He implied that he knew that George wasn’t reading at all, which was very bad. He challenged him, treating him like a small child (he wanted to give him a nickel to buy a lemon-ice with), and he warned George not to make the same mistake he himself had made. It seems that Mr. Cattanzara referred to his not having completed his formal education.

     George felt down again. The neighborhood didn’t seem as good as it had seemed before. He was afraid of the reaction of the public when they found out that he was not reading at all, so he locked himself in his room again. Now George felt trapped. He was embarrassed confused and frustrated. What could he do? He knew he would not be able to stand the mockery of the neighbors when they met him.

     The summer was hot and his room was stifling(hot, suffocating,unbearable). This atmosphere was again a reflection of his inner world. He felt hot, helpless and miserable as if confined in a prison from which he could not escape.

     One day, not being able to stand the heat, he left his room and went into the street. Surprisingly, a strange thing happened. The reaction of the public was astonishing. Instead of mocking him, they whispered that he had already finished reading the one hundred books. He immediately recovered from his depression, realizing that Mr. Cattanzara had spread that second rumour. Now George realized how much he needed respect, and he knew that he had to justify his reputation, otherwise he would not be able to enjoy life. So he pulled himself together and went to the library to read.