Raymond's Run Character Analysis

In Toni Cambara’s realistic fiction short story “Raymond’s Run,” the protagonist, Hazel “Squeaky” Parker, learns to change her ways of never admitting she may not have been the fastest runner in town, and also eventually realizes to get along with others no matter foul or inferior they may have appeared at first. Hazel, at the beginning of the story, was slightly stubborn, impulsive and fast to come to an opinion. However, when the day came of the great May Day Race, and her archenemy, Gretchen, is also there, she realizes, with a moment of truth, that Gretchen may not be as bad as she seems. The race was neck and neck, with Hazel just in the lead, proving that while Gretchen was a pro at running, the dispute was settled. Gretchen would no

She also did not even care to even acknowledge the possibility that Gretchen could be even a little bit friendly, and as physically able as herself, but instead almost immediately separated her into a cold group of abhorrence, or ignorance, just for the few presumptions made by her present thoughts and actions. Furthermore, Hazel did not want to admit that somewhere in the world, there was someone obviously faster than her, such as her dad, which she covered up as far from the truth. All in all, Hazel can be described as a kind of self-centered person, all her good thoughts revolving around herself, bragging about her skill and talent, not really caring or looking out for others, as the author mentioned in the very first paragraph, how the rest of the family took care of everything else, and all

She often made decisions that would mainly benefit herself, as well as decisions that would not be the best choice for others. For example, on two, she accused his older brother Raymond for not being able to keep up, when, really, they were almost equally as fast. But what really altered her direction and ways of thinking was when her most anticipated and detested foe, a new girl the author introduces at the top of page two as Gretchen, comes to prove that not only were Hazel and Gretchen roughly on the same level of expertise in running, they were both extremely satisfied in both each other and themselves. That was what mainly spurred and sparked the friendship and happiness of the two girls. When Hazel had won the annual May Day races once again, it opened her mind. She began to realize certain things that she had never thought possible before, including the fact that her older brother, Raymond, could run just fast as she could. She came to a, perhaps, epiphany, that there was more to see in life than just racing and competition and the well being of oneself, and that enemies were not always meant to be hated. After all, there would always still be the chance that somewhere in the midst of all of the tension and betrayal and grudges, and the determination to be seen and the looking down on others, things would change. And in Hazel’s case, things very well did