After moving to Pheonix the Walls’ “expeditions” became less frequent, but one very memorable adventure took place. Walls’ father took the kids to the zoo. Here, he had decided to teach them that “no animal, no matter how big or wild, is dangerous as long as you know what you are doing” (106). He tells them that man is supposed to live in harmony with animals. They passed by the lion den and settled on the cheetah. Rex studied the animal and finally invited the kids over. When Jeannette pets the animal she is cautious, but not scared. Her parents had taught her that it was important not to surrender to fear. She gasped once when the cat first licked her hand and it was only out of amazement. Soon, the other people in the zoo forced the family to leave. Walls writes: “I could hear people around us whispering about the crazy drunk man and his dirty little urchin children, but who cared what they thought? None of them had ever had their hand licked by a cheetah” (109).
This seems like an insane thing for a ten-year old to do, which is probably why it caught my attention. When I read this passage, I wasn’t thinking about how dangerous it was or how embarrassing it must have been to have such strange parents. I was jealous of Jeannette Walls. She had been licked by a cheetah! This is not something little girls on a family trip to the zoo usually experience. I felt myself wishing I could have felt what she felt. To have looked straight into the eyes of a wild animal and be filled with excitement and nervousness would be an experience I would never forget. This particular memory is one of those that Walls probably looks back on when she thinks about how it wasn’t all bad living with her parents. She got to do things that most people won’t do in their entire life. Her childhood may have been tainted by her free-spirited parents, but it also opened her eyes to a beautiful world.
No comments:
Post a Comment