Journal 4

Scratch Beginnings: May 11, 2010
The events in the last few chapters show a large amount of falling action, besides Adam’s fight with BG. The only issue Adam still has is that BG is always taking his car and not returning it on time. Beyond this Adam is quite well off and has a decent amount of money saved up. What came as the most surprising thing was that Adam and BG got along much better after the fight. Just as all seemed well the story took an unexpected turn and Adam’s adventure came to an end as he had to go home and help his mother and father who had been diagnosed with cancer.
Although the story had a few unexpected turns in the last couple chapters, it seemed quite clear that the story was coming to an end. Adam had achieved everything he had hoped to achieve and more in less time than he had expected. To some degree the story started lose its excitement as we were not left wondering what was going to happen next as each page went on. It seemed a bit obvious that Adam would eventually teach BG his lesson sooner or later, even though it didn’t happen in a manner we really expected.
Adam maintains his adventurous attitude until the very end of the chapter 16. The chapter ends with him saying he was just taking the next step in his life, as if to say this journey would never really end for him. He was just going to keep moving forward trying to become more and more successful. The big twist in his attitude comes in the epilogue where he explains the significance of his story to us Americans. Adam switches to what seems a more negative tone. After experiencing all he did and learning so much about homelessness and poverty, Adam seems upset with the so many Americans who have given up on the American dream. He explains that people would find a lot more enjoyment in life if they didn’t just think of life as something to tolerate. He believes that people need to take charge in their lives if they want their life to have value and be successful. Adam is also upset that so many people who are already well off do nothing to help those in need and explains that it isn’t difficult to find ways to help those who need it.
Adam’s words in the epilogue can definitely be applied to our lives. As students we often question why we need to do this or that in school. Adam explains in this book that we need to take advantage of things in our lives that will help us become successful. Our education gives us an advantage in the world, but only if we make use of it. Also, as people who are not stuck in poverty we have the ability to make a difference in the lives of people who are in poverty. What we can take from reading this story is that success comes from determination and help from others.