“Thirty was so strange for me. I’ve really had to come to terms with the
fact that I am now a walking and talking adult” (C.S. Lewis). Lewis reveals the fact that he still feels
like a child at heart. Humans are all a
work in process. Each individual works
on making themselves better human beings day by day. In a way, we are all children all throughout
our lives.
“The Chase” exemplifies the child at heart theory. Annie Dillard’s adult character is hit by an
iceball Mikey and Peter throw at him in his black Buick. The children split in all different directions
as this man they hit with an iceball gets out of his car and begins to chase
the children. The children are surprised
by this man's agility and determination to catch them. In all the times they have thrown their
iceballs at cars coming down the street, none of the adults have chased them
before. The adult man dashes through
bushes and yards to catch the daring children. For the man as well the children, the chase is
as a game to see who will win and who will lose. 
Ultimately, the adult disappoints the children by not
taking the game any further by punishing them.
To express his true inner child, the man should have boiled the children
in a stew or locked them away in a dungeon. Since he does none of these things, he exemplifies how adults lose their inner child imaginations and creativity.
I like the beginning quote! We're all children at heart, and it was just yesterday that I realized that I couldn't stand on the side of the road and throw snowballs at cars without being arrested. But I like how you mention that adults get older because they can't enjoy life like children do without having consequences.
ReplyDeleteI like how you found a quote that was humorous but also introduced your topic. It's definitely true that as people grow up, they often lose their "inner child". However, instances like the chase itself can bring that fun-loving character out of people.
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