"Breaking the Rules" Profle paper

In the memoir, The Mee Street Chronicles by Frankie Lennon, the story “Breaking the Rules” deals with the author, the protagonist in the story and her friend Nikki’s rebellious act of wearing inappropriate clothing to school which causes them to be suspended by miss Clay, the dean of students and the antagonist of the story. Other characters are Mary, the author’s mother and her father whom everyone at the school calls “Coach.” While this story takes place during the Jim Crow era, it is ultimately about accepting others even with their differences.

            There is an inner conflict within the author because while she wants to fit in with her other classmates, she values her individuality and freedom to express herself. However, sometimes, what one may think of as being creative, others may deem as defiant. The interaction between the author, her friend Nikki and Miss Clay could also be thought of as a reflection on society’s view of rebellion at that time and even today.

The main motif presented in this story is identity and belonging which the reader can see is a struggle with the author at the moment. One can also see it with Lennon’s mother, Mary when she explains to her daughter the importance of fitting in and not making a big spectacle of yourself.

            Reading this passage taught me that there are certain times when you should fit in with the crowd. I myself struggled with trying to find my identity while in high school by wearing strange clothing and saying inappropriate things at times. What I did find interesting though is that the author’s mother confessed she had a similar experience to her daughter’s yet, we never really find out what happened to her. The reader is somewhat left to make their own assumptions as to why her mother was crying.

Ultimately, this story really appealed to me as I am always someone interested in the different or usual. I would definitely recommend reading this to a friend of mine who make her decisions based on what will shock her parents and is still trying to find out who she really is. While reading, I learned the lesson that it’s okay to not follow the crowd every once in a while and have your own identity.