The Main Theme Of Where Is It Written By Adam Schwartz

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“Where is it Written” by Adam Schwartz, is a story about a 12 years old boy named Sam who has conflicts with his unstable mother, Sandra. Sam first tries to convince his father to sue Sandra for his custody. Then, after many conflicts between them, she appears at his bar mitzvah where she starts a fight. Finally, everything resumes in court. The father wins the case of the custody and Sam is sent to live with him. Coming of age is an important theme in which the character experiences a realization of an idea that before was unknown or ignored. It is evolution and maturation. Sam came of age very slowly and unevenly. Changing his perspective towards his mother. From repudiating her to sympathising with her. To begin, this story …show more content…

Sam says, “Perhaps I could have said something kind about my mother, but I was only thirteen, and I didn't know that love can be as obdurate as the changes you long for. Perhaps I could have told him that after I turned around and saw her bruised face, I lifted my mother to her feet. I pressed my tallis against her bloody nose. Then I rolled it up into a tight little ball, and we trekked back up the beach together” (pg. 99) Basically, Sam came of age because he regrets his action of trying to escape. He realizes that his love for his mother was greater than he thought. This is a significant change because Sam earlier in the story said that Sandra was driving him crazy, and convinced his father to sue her for his custody. He really wanted to escape from her. But at the end we can see that he changes his mind. He knew that his mother wouldn’t change but he loved her anyways. In the end, Sam is sent to live with his father. The fight at the bar mitzvah made Sandra’s case even harder to win. This story illustrates the importance of humility. Which I believe would have saved the relationship. Sandra’s ego and pride were the reason why she didn’t tell him how much she loved him, the reason why she was jealous of Sam’s father, or the reason of the fight at the bar mitzvah. The same with Sam. As he says, he could have said something nice about his mother to the judge, or the psychologist. Or more importantly, he could have said to Sandra how much he loved

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