Rhyme Schemer

The start of Kevin Jamison’s seventh-grade school year initiates the novel’s exploration of The Causes and Repercussions of Bullying. At 12 years old, Kevin is still figuring out who he is. The way he feels at home immediately impacts the way he behaves at school. Kevin tries to distinguish himself at school by being the troublemaker and bullying others because he feels like an outsider at home. He is one of five boys: 

One college guy. 

One senior. 

One junior. 

One sophomore. 

And a seventh grader (33). 

Since his brothers are all so much older than him, Kevin feels alone whenever he is at home with his family. 

The author illustrates Kevin’s insecurity around being different via naming. All of Kevin’s brothers’ names start with a “p”—Petey, Patrick, Paul, and Philip—while Kevin’s name starts with a “k.” He is both younger than his siblings and feels overlooked by them and his parents. Whenever Kevin mentions his parents, it is through their absence. He wishes that his father were like the television character Cliff Huxtable because his father is never at home and never plays games with him. When he mentions his mother, Kevin notes that she never answers the principal’s phone calls. He also insists that his parents wouldn’t notice if he ran away, just like they don’t notice when Petey locks him in a closet and he disappears.

Due to Kevin’s insecurity at home, he lashes out at others in the school environment. Most of Kevin’s poems detail his experiences at school, but they also intersperse allusions to his frustrations at home or with his family members. The interaction between the home and school spheres within Kevin’s poetry implies that he is bullying others because he feels powerless and invisible. Kevin’s “Day 1” poem conveys the delight that he feels when he is mean to others: 

First day of school. 

My favorite. 

Easy prey. 

[…] 

So many 

weenies. 

So little 

time (1). 

In the context of school, Kevin feels powerful, strong, and different. He can intimidate the people he identifies as his superiors by making fun of them, tripping them, or acting out in aggression. 

These same behaviors reappear in the context of Kevin’s home life—except here, Kevin is the victim of bullying and violence. Petey locks him in the closet, ignores his pleas to contribute to the band, makes him walk half the way to school, and teases him for writing poetry, which results in the loss of Kevin’s notebook. Petey makes Kevin feel small and weak, so Kevin in turn makes “Giant John,” “Freckle-Face Kelly,” and Robin feel small and weak. His unkindness is the result of his own pain.

Kevin’s lack of remorse surrounding his actions also relates to his brother’s lack of accountability. Kevin’s parents never address Petey’s unkindness toward their youngest son and put the majority of their parenting responsibilities onto Petey and the other brothers. Kevin thus unconsciously convinces himself that no one is really paying attention to his actions because no one really cares what he says or does. He feels neglected and acts out in order to get attention; however, his cruelty, bullying, and misbehavior do little to awaken anyone to his real needs. As a result, Kevin ends up steeling himself.

To process his feelings of abandonment and hurt, Kevin recognizes The Value of Poetry as a Coping Mechanism, another of the novel’s main themes. While most of his poems are narrative in nature, they also rely heavily on metaphors and imagery to access Kevin’s more complex emotions. For example, Kevin compares himself to a stone in his poem “Day 5” when Petey refuses to say goodbye to him at school drop off: 

If I am stone 

my fist is a gargoyle, scaring people away. 

If I am stone 

I don’t have to answer questions in class. 

If I am stone 

I don’t have to listen to all the boring things. 

If I am stone 

I am unbreakable (11). 

This stone metaphor captures the complexity of Kevin’s emotional upset and his coming-of-age experience. The image of the stone evokes notions of coldness and un-breakability. Kevin does not want to allow himself to feel hurt when his brother ignores him because he perceives emotionality as weakness. When he shuts down his emotions, he keeps himself from feeling guilt or shame, such as when he trips Robin, which hinders his ability to connect meaningfully with others. Kevin tries to process his emotional experience in his poetry, but at this juncture of the novel, the practice has yet to resolve his distress or behaviors.