Raymond's Run
By: Toni Cade Bombara
Summary
Hazel is preparing for the annual race with her brother alongside. As she is training, an adult implies that maybe she should let someone else win for a change. With this being said, Hazel becomes more eager to win. When she races she always clears he mind as it she is "flying", but something catches her eye as she runs. Her brother Raymond doing something for the first time.
Main Conflict
The main conflict that Hazel is put against is her brother being made fun of. Many people call him mean names do to his inferred condition.
Inference
One inference that I've made while reading this story is that Raymond is a child with autism.
Theme
The theme of this short story is,"Don't be too focused on yourself or you might not see the extraordinary things others are doing." I think this is so because Hazel is a little preoccupied to notice exactly how Raymond feels about the race or anything. But on the day of the race, while she is racing, she notices her brother running for the first time.
Author info
Toni Cade Bambara was born in New York. In 1970 she changed her name to include the name of a West African ethnic group, Bambara. She became very popular with her work and has some movies out there along with novels and many short stories.