What Is It About His Conversation With Mr. Gregg That Disturbs Bern

Maddie Weir
Critical Reading- Perhaps Tomorrow by Barney Roberts
Question:
a. In the given text, what is it about his conversation with Mr. Gregg that disturbs Bern?
The thing from Bern’s conversation with Mr. Gregg that disturbs Bern is how Mr. Gregg talk about how ‘the schooldays are the best days of your life’. Mr. Gregg makes growing up and becoming an adult seem like the worst thing that could possibly happen to anybody. He talks about how getting a job and working is ‘just one long grind, day after day, year-in, year-out’. This would scare most people as it scares Bern but his mother reassures him that even she ‘hated school’. All of this comes from Bern complaining about not being able to do mental arithmetic and his mother says that they will ‘do some together, tomorrow. Bern’s mother said that ‘the best days of your life were today and tomorrow – if today is not the best, then tomorrow.’ Bern has two completely different opinions about what is meant to be the best days of his life and this really overwhelms him.
b. What attitude does Bern’s mother have towards her son’s schooling?
Bern’s mother doesn’t put a whole lot of pressure on her son to be the best of the best or to be the top of his class when it comes to his schooling. When Bern says that he ‘can’t do mental arithmetic’ his mother
The hardships of growing up are clearly displayed in this text as Bern struggles with the death of Rover, stressed out by school and being harassed by the Lynches and the Websters. He also thinks about the Greggs when he is left alone to his thoughts as he lies in his bed at night. These thoughts of the Greggs may be linked to thoughts of how the Greggs are poor and that there will always be poor people. Like many children and teenagers Bern begins to question everything and form his own opinion. The experiences that Bern has had in this text will be experiences that may people have