Essentially, the
message of the story is that the creation of a personal identity is a difficult
and complicated process, regardless of age. This is shown clearly through the
character of Laurie, a young child who begins kindergarten. Jackson argues that this is a very
important time for Laurie because it affects his development as an individual. She makes this
clear in the first paragraph when she describes the physical changes he undergoes: he starts to
swagger, for example, and no longer waves goodbye to his mother.
Laurie's
creation of an alter-ego calledcomes as a great surprise to his mother and, in fact, provides
the final plot twist. But it also shows that there are important mental and emotional changes in
Laurie's development which mirror the physical changes that he has experienced. For the first
time, he is testing boundaries, as shown by his various antics in class, and learning that his
actions have consequences, as demonstrated by his various punishments.
That
Jackson offers no explanation for Laurie's actions suggests that she believes them to be a
natural part of growing up. For her, forming a sense of identity is a complicated process which
parents and teachers just have to accept.
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