Every Good Boy
”Every Good Boy” – David Nicholls
Finding something you are good at is a big part of growing up. Parents and the surrounding society expect us to be particularly good at something. Today it is all about being different from others and to stand out from the crowd and to have a talent. People want to practice a lot because they are told to. But the question is, “does practice really makes perfect?” People have a fear of not being good at anything at all. People want richness and fame. People have high expectations for themselves, and want to reach a high level. Quickly they are under pressure, and they try to practice even more. But that will often give the opposite effect. In the short story "Every Good Boy" written by David Nicholls the narrator has a dream of being a famous pianist, but he is born with no talent.
The narrator tells a story from his childhood when he was nine years old. He is “remarkable for being entirely without ability”, but he keeps up hope that he will find his talent. He is “graceless, charmless, and physically and socially inept”. But he is eager to find something he can do well, despite numerous failures.
His siblings are talented though. His sister is an influential majorette, and his older brother can dismantle things. His father, Michael, comes home with a piano. He expects his son to start playing it. The narrator sees the piano as a great opportunity to obtain his dream of becoming something that will make his parents proud.
The narrator begins to play the piano, and takes piano lessons at his neighbor Mrs. Chin’s place. He is very proud of himself when he tells Mrs. Chin that he is entirely self-taught. So he plays the theme from the movie Jaws, which only has two or three notes. But he wants to become a prodigy, and he believes that he with some practice will be able to be “entertaining in vast concert halls, enchanting all that heard”.
The piano is the positive thing that appeared in the narrator’s life. It is an
Finding something you are good at is a big part of growing up. Parents and the surrounding society expect us to be particularly good at something. Today it is all about being different from others and to stand out from the crowd and to have a talent. People want to practice a lot because they are told to. But the question is, “does practice really makes perfect?” People have a fear of not being good at anything at all. People want richness and fame. People have high expectations for themselves, and want to reach a high level. Quickly they are under pressure, and they try to practice even more. But that will often give the opposite effect. In the short story "Every Good Boy" written by David Nicholls the narrator has a dream of being a famous pianist, but he is born with no talent.
The narrator tells a story from his childhood when he was nine years old. He is “remarkable for being entirely without ability”, but he keeps up hope that he will find his talent. He is “graceless, charmless, and physically and socially inept”. But he is eager to find something he can do well, despite numerous failures.
His siblings are talented though. His sister is an influential majorette, and his older brother can dismantle things. His father, Michael, comes home with a piano. He expects his son to start playing it. The narrator sees the piano as a great opportunity to obtain his dream of becoming something that will make his parents proud.
The narrator begins to play the piano, and takes piano lessons at his neighbor Mrs. Chin’s place. He is very proud of himself when he tells Mrs. Chin that he is entirely self-taught. So he plays the theme from the movie Jaws, which only has two or three notes. But he wants to become a prodigy, and he believes that he with some practice will be able to be “entertaining in vast concert halls, enchanting all that heard”.
The piano is the positive thing that appeared in the narrator’s life. It is an