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Gryphon, By Charles Baxter

903 Words4 Pages

Individuality is what makes each person unique, as it sets people apart. Not one person is the same as another. In the short story “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter, there is a young fourth grader named Tommy who is used to the same old routine of his daily life and following other people and what they do and think. However, he then crosses paths with a substitute teacher named Ms. Ferenczi, who expresses nonconformity and individuality and becomes intrigued by her. However, Tommy’s purpose is not to use the ‘road not taken” but rather to experience individuality and start to grow and develop into the adult he will become later in life, as most kids eventually do. Tommy is a young boy who is experiencing early on in life the effects of becoming a …show more content…

Secondly, the substitute teacher represents independence, the ability to separate oneself from others and form independent opinions and beliefs. She comes into class reluctant to continue with the previous teacher’s regime, she states, “When your teacher, Mr. Hibler, returns, six times eleven will be sixty-six again, you can rest assured. And it will be that for the rest of your life in Five Oaks. Too bad, eh? "(Baxter 280)" - "Baxter 280" She tries to break the kids’ minds free of what is traditionally right and wrong even if what she is saying is untrue, like when a kid points out "John said that six times eleven is sixty-eight and you said he was right! "(Baxter 279). Her goal is to get their brains thinking in a way they have not before, to stretch their minds beyond what is possible, and to challenge what they already know. To show them it is possible to have their own beliefs that are different from others. While most of the students challenge Ms. Ferenczi’s unconventional beliefs, do not give in to her views, and do not see a hidden message in her words, Tommy …show more content…

“I slugged him out. She was right," I yelled. She was always right! She told the truth, "She told the truth!" The other kids were whooping. You were just scared, that's all! "’(Baxter 288). Tommy’s interest in Ms. Ferenczi is not unusual, for he sees someone completely different from what he is used to and it intrigues him. It is only natural to grow and develop with new life experiences and sometimes it takes some time for individualism to come to fruition, however, Tommy through the help of his substitute teacher, steps ahead in becoming himself. In conclusion, Tommy is not taking “the road not taken” but rather discovering his individuality and developing from the young boy that he is, which every young person does at one point or another. With the aid of his substitute teacher, Tommy is shown that he does not have to follow one set of rules and that life is what he makes out of it and how he perceives the world. A lesson can be learned from the substitute teacher, and that is that one should not care about the opinions and beliefs of others to shape oneself, but rather pull from within and develop

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