“The Cardboard Room” by Teresa Pitman is about a teenage girl who comes from a judgmental family. Particularly, they are not fond of a refugee family, who according to them do not belong. When assigned to work on a project with a member of the family, Eric Nye, she begins to understand how someone’s appearance does not define who they truly are. After spending more time with Eric and his family she quickly realizes that people should not be judged and criticized for their circumstances. Eric informs the protagonist about events that happened back home and the struggles it took to get where they are today. Through her time spent with Eric she learns that life is not always easy for everyone and appreciates how lucky and fortunate she truly is. The protagonist’s parents soon find out that she is still hanging out with him even though the project is over. This led to an argument because her parents do not allow or want their daughter to be friends with him. This is the moment when the protagonist realizes that her parents are keeping her “boxed in” from exploring the world. Based on the protagonist’s …show more content…
The story can be relatable to many teenagers who are facing similar situations. After reading this story we should all be thankful and appreciative of the life we have because we do not really experience the tough things that others our age may have to go through. Even though the story has a meaningful message, there are a several segments missing, including a lack of a substantial plot, lack of depth and no suspense. In addition to the simple plot, the author did not provide much background information about the main characters, for example the protagonist’s name was never mentioned. Overall, “The Cardboard Room” gives an insight on what goes on in other people’s lives and how people should put things in perspective before