Okay. I hope I’m not the only one that got ridiculously mad at the hospital for not even really glancing at Smithy when he brought Carl in. I mean, I understand that Carl was a regular patient that needed medical help badly, but it’s their job to pay attention to everything that’s going on. Seriously, did they NOT notice that Smithy wasn’t even driving the car? Plus, all the doctors treat him like shit, and then yell at him about Carl and then send them on their way. Then we get another scene where the doctor calls the house and threatens Smithy if he hadn’t taken proper care of Carl by the time she got there the next day.
She also brings an officer with her that beats Smithy up, with the intention of only scaring him, and he ends up even worse before they realize, and by realize I mean Carl has to TELL THEM, that he’d hit him with his truck and that he wasn’t the bad guy.
What the hell? There is such thing as having bad luck, but there is a point. I just couldn’t believe how badly this doctor’s first impression turned out for Smithy. Poor Smithy’s had his bike taken away from him, been hit by a truck, been threatened by a doctor, and then beat up by the police officer brought by that same doctor, all in less than 24 hours.
There was just a limit set on how much the world can bear down on Smithy, and the book has pushed past it. It also really just goes to show how detrimental conclusions made about people can really be.
Thoughts?
I don't think there is really a limit to the problems Smithy can encounter on his trip. Maybe this scene is not entirely realistic, but it could conceivably happen, especially if he wasn't too badly hurt in the crash. Smithy encounters problems and he overcomes them, and that is what makes him interesting. If the world went easy on him, it would be a very boring book.
ReplyDeleteI was really miffed at the hospital but also kind of frustrated with Smithy. The hospital should have treated Carl and Smithy both as patients, and the fact that they didn't was fully the hospital's fault, but I think Smithy should have had some kind of self-preservation instinct. I think it's cool that Smithy takes care of Carl. It says a lot about Smithy, I guess, like that he doesn't make a negative judgment about someone just because they hit him with their car/he is capable of forgiveness on a dime.
ReplyDeleteThe whole situation with the policeman and Smithy was handled badly. It does remind us that Smithy doesn't look too great; it kind of brings us back to an outsider viewpoint and makes us question why appearances are even an excuse for treating someone badly. I also do think, re: Smithy's childhood bike, that the replacement with a new, 10-speed bike is significant. Smithy is obviously physically transforming, but I think the new bike and the books are a way to show that he is mentally transforming and becoming more than he was as a runner.