Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Louis' use of of running begins to change as he evolves as a character. In the very beginning, Louis is constantly running from the mischief he gets himself into. After getting in trouble "he was often chased by people he had robbed" (Hillenbrand 6). Louis, however, turns running into a positive aspect of his life. Instead of running from trouble, he now runs with a purpose. He runs with the hopes of breaking records, succeeding in the Olympics, and for the pure love of the sport. The change in Louis' use of running is due to the admirable example and encouragement of his brother Pete. Even in the final round of the Olympics he finds himself thinking of advice his brother had given him. Pete had once told him that "a lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain" (35). Louis runs the fastest lap, breaking the former record because of his brother's encouragement. Do you think Louis owes all his success to his brother? How would Louis running career have been different if his brother was not a part of his life? And will Louis' use of running continue to change?

1 comment:

  1. Pete's encouragement also shows when Louie receives an envelope from Pete right before the final round of the Olympics with two playing cards inside. Pete had written on the cards saying, " Which are you going to be the joker, which is another word for horses ass or the TOPS: Ace of spades. the best in the bunch. The highest in the deck. Take your choice!... Lets see you storm through as the best n the deck. if the joker does not appeal to you, throw it away and keep this [the ace] for good luck" (Hillenbrand 34). I agree with you [Lauren] that Pete's encouragement plays a big role in Louie's success and is a major reason why Louie accomplishes so many things. Without Pete Louie would have never began running in the first place let alone learn how much he loved it.

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