Comfort
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“Between pain and peace, there is Comfort.” Carolee Dean states this on the cover of her book Comfort. But, when you start reading this amazing book you realize this is all to true for the main character Kenny Roy Wilson. Pain with his abusive mother. Peace in his talent for poetry. And, comfort in Comfort. Kenny’s pain with his mother is overwhelming. He is forced out of football “Coach Billings made a special trip down to the cafe to tell her how the team needed me.”( Dean, pg3.) Band, “Then Viola Wambat begged her to at least let me stay in the band.” (Dean, pg3.) And, now high school. Why is his peace being taken away? Now he’s just left with comfort, what will he do to get out?
Kenny finds words to have more power than he could have ever imagined. Power in poetry imparticularly. He stands up to his mother, giving him a chance at a normal teenage life. Getting a chance at the UIL competition, poetry slams, and a teenage life intrigues him. “Diversity and the Human Experience.” (Dean, pg.62) In the UIL Johnson City competition, Kenny placed going from A to B;”Words of Inspiration.” (Dean, pg.62) Placing in B meant he would go to Southwest Texas State University. So close to Dallas.
Kenny’s mother removes him from football, and band because of the cafe his mom owns. The cafe is a run down shop reserved only for Kenny’s fathers country music. “..Slave my youth away in that stupid cafe– scrubbing floors, cleaning the fryer, waiting on customers.” (Dean, pg.15) Kenny’s mom slaves Kenny; no pay, no peace, all pain. To get away from the pain in the cafe faster Kenny would take money from the cash register to go towards his “Dallas Fund.” (Dean, pg.16) His “Dallas Fund” kept him going, it drove him forward. He knew one day he would make it out of comfort and out of pain, to grampa Harris with peace.
Kenny’s dad was a convicted felon. With an addiction to alcohol. Kenny’s mom tried to