Danny Henderson's Future In Being Henry David By Cal Armistead

In the novel Being Henry David by Cal Armistead, Danny Henderson learns how to cope with what seems to be a nightmare of a past. When he wakes up in Penn Station without the slightest trace of his past life or name, he begins a new life with his only possession being the novel Walden by Henry David Thoreau. As Danny pieces together the clues to his past, it soon dawns on him that his past may not be as happy as he had hoped. The six word memoir “Redemptive futures balance out tense pasts” captures the most meaningful lesson that Danny learns: the past does not have to define the future. When Danny is faced with his past, he discovers that hiding is useless, and living out his life in a better way in the present can make up for his past mistakes. As he unearths his past, Danny encounters many mentors who guide him in a better direction- the most prominent one being Thomas. Danny initially meets Thomas, who works for park commission, after spending a night

When Danny reveals the life he knows, Thomas takes Danny under his wing, providing him the basic necessities of life. He also consoles Danny about the incident with Simon with his own troubled past, saying that “When [I] was younger, [I] got on the wrong side of law a couple times and had to learn some lessons the hard ways… [I] even did time… in prison, for breaking and entering.” This kind of understanding of Danny’s situation and relatability with him comforts Danny about his situation, and allows him to realize that the past can be let go of by a new and better future. When Danny goes to Haileys house after meeting her and discovers her beautiful singing voice, he wonders why she refuses to join her school’s renowned Battle of the Bands this year like she had in