Hidden Wall behind Self-Consciousness, Book Review Essay Sample

After reading Memory Laps, the story of young David Sedaris in a swimming team, I found myself being thoughtful, and the atmosphere turned from humorousness into placidness. His way of narration was unique with various tones, such as when describing his sister, Lisa, as "Miss Perfect," teasing his sister, Gretchen, for being obese, and when bringing himself down for jealousy and his father's disapproval. I was totally amused in the way the writer created the title with a heavy, meaningful purpose. The title "Memory Laps" candidly displays how dismal his childhood was. The writer's main message is that we should not walk on "eggshells."

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The story begins with how the writer "unwillingly" joinedn Raleigh Country Club as a swimmer. Everything wasn't negative at first. But his attitude towards swimming and family turned to be curved by his teammate Greg Sakas, whom David's father was proud of. As the degree of overpraising increased, young David became jealous and pessimistic. Later, the story ends with the isolated scene of old David swimming in a hotel pool, reminiscing his sorrowful past specifically related to his father.

The book revolves around swimming. The role of "swim functions" as the factor for young David to get the father's attention. In the book, I observed a considerable indifference especially when young David was compared to Greg Sakas in father's favor. To him, swimming was the special way to get acknowledged by his father. So he tried his best, and one day he happened to defeat Greg; however, his father didn't recognize his accomplishment. It is hard to establish whether the reason for his father's response was either the real indifference or a thorough discipline which might have meant to lead him to be the superior.

Even though I sympathized with the writer's sorrowful story, I can't direct the story to myself because my father, unlike David's father, has always been supportive and inspiring to me. I dedicate this story to myself to be better at anything that I do. However, the important lesson is the impression I have to make for my future children. Considering the human features of sensitiveness and self-consciousness for young children, in particular, I have acquired the insight of how to cope up with these issues in future.

In terms of characters' connection, I was inspired to inquire why the writer treated people differently. He called Lisa, "Ms. Perfect" while he teased Gretchen by saying sunbeam and the smell of bacon frying. His behavior was because of his jealousy against anyone who was superior to him just like Greg. But why he particularly flames to Gretchen, is because he feels self-esteemed when he compares people with their "faults." Though it is wrong to act this way it is not his original fault. It is purely a parents' responsibility to look out at their child's behavior. Simply, his father's "apparent" indifference with no praise for his child's accomplishment has indirectly led to the writer's distressed outcome.

Work Cited

Glover, Brian. "De-Located Yankees: David Sedaris and Growing Up Northern in the South, 1965-1983." Southern Cultures 24.2 (2018): 5-20.