A Look At Wahoo

Wahoo is the main character in Carl Hiassen's new book, Chomp. This kid is really deep, and I was surprised at how much he had going on below the surface. My intial impression of him was that he was a quiet, responsible kid, and I wasn't wrong. There was just so much more to him that I didn't expect. It made me think that maybe I judged him too quickly. As I read closely, I was surprised to really study his charcter, and who he really was, which, like most good characters, was complicated.

He got his finger chomped by an alligator, so he only has a stump of a thumb on his left hand. He seemed so tough to me, originally. I mean, he was dealing with alligators and 14 foot pythons on a daily basis, so how could he not? When I found out he used to be bullied in school, just because of his name, I was kind of surprised. I thought he would've been the fight-the-enemy kind of kid, not he kid running away. It just showed me that he's been through a lot, and that I drew conclusions too fast. Even as I slowed down, I was still surprised. Also, I just assumed he was a straight A student. He seemed like the perfect kid. He took care of his dad when he had a headache, he was responsible with the animals...I figured he was just great all around. When he told me about how he was never as smart as his sister, and that he mostly got Bs and Cs, I was quite surprised. He just seemed like the perfect kid...His parents still loved him and all, but still. Him not being perfect in some way makes him easier for readers to relate to, and I think that's what really matters here.

Clearly, I shouldn't have been so quick to judge him. He'd been through a lot more than I thought he has, and I constantly learned new things about him that surprised me. The experience made me think about my own life. Maybe I judge people too quickly, and there's probably a lot more to them than I think. Haven't we all done that at some point or another? I know, from now on, in books and real life, I'm going to learn everything I can about a character before a draw conclusions and make an analysis. If more people did that, the world would be a much more pleasant place to live in. Empathy connects us all.