The Downward Path to Wisdom was, to put it simply, a very confusing story for me
to read. I am not exactly sure what message or meaning the author was hoping to
pass on to the reader, but it does seem to make the reader feel much pain for
little Stephen. Stephen seems to be a resilient young lad. He goes about his
daily routines even though he is called dumb and is told how bad and mean he is.
Perhaps he doesn’t totally understand what his mother and grandmother say, but
I know I could understand quite a bit when I was his age. I think he did, but it
is not until the end when he sings about hating his family that the reader
realizes how smart he actually is. I must say it did surprise me. Another thing
that confused me was the time period of the story. It could be a story that
takes place in the present, but it also could go back a hundred years, or
possibly more. From the dialect, I assume it takes place within the last twenty
years or so. Also, I doubt that parents were so cruel to there children many
years ago; that is a current problem. Even though The Downward Path to Wisdom
was very confusing, I still thought it was a good piece that evoked much emotion
within me.