Themes Of Raymond's Run 'And All American Slurp'

In the short storiesy “Raymond’s Run” and “All American Slurp”, the main characters are affected by the theme of the stories. In the short story Raymond’s Run, the theme is that you should never be afraid of being yourself and sticking up for what you believe in. The theme in All American Slurp is that every culture has different ways of doing things and you shouldn’t be embarrassed about who you are. In Raymond’s Run, the main character Squeaky is affected by the theme because she doesn't care about what anyone thinks about her or her brother Raymond. In the story All American Slurp the main character Lin is affected by the theme because at first she is embarrassed by her family and customs and was afraid that she would never fit in.

When the family started eating their soup, they slurped their soup. Lin thought ”our family sounds like when the tide goes out and drains all the water in little pools on a rocky beach”. Lin was so embarrassed that she hid in the girl’s bathroom. When the Lin’s had a dinner party, she discovered that Americans pile food on their plate unlike the Chinese, who keep all their food separate. Lin realizes that even though the Chinese eat their vegetables cooked and Americans pile food on their plates, every culture has different ways of doing things. After the dinner party, Meg took Lin to a Dairy Queen to get a milkshake. When Meg began slurping her milkshake, Lin was very surprised and asked what was she doing. Meg grinned. ”Sure. All Americans slurp”. Lin realized that Americans slurp milkshakes just like Chinese slurp their soup. These examples show how the theme affects the character's life because they show that she realizes that all cultures have there own ways of doing things and you shouldn't be embarrassed by

”So now she hangs out with the new girl Gretchen and talks about me like a dog”. This shows the theme because she doesn't care that people don't like her, she will keep running no matter what. As Squeaky's running the race, she notices Raymond running on the other side of the fence. “And it's the first time I ever saw that and I almost stop to watch my brother Raymond on his first run”. After the race, Squeaky feels like she has a connection with Gretchen when they smile at each other out of respect for their running skills. “Cause she’s good, no doubt about it. Maybe she’d like to help me coach Raymond; She obviously is serious about running”. This example shows that Squeaky is affected by the theme because she isn't afraid to be who she is and realizes that maybe she has found a