Final Reflection: A Different Drummer

Final Reflection: A Different Drummer

Due to the fact that there are seven billion people on the face of the planet, it’s often difficult for me to fathom that my existence is anything more than just a mere blip on the world’s population. My universe is centered completely around my family and my friends, to the extent that it is hard for me to imagine that my life could be linked to even those of some my classmates, much less another person’s on the other side of the globe. However, reading A Different Drummer altered my outlook on life dramatically. The core idea of the novel is that all humans are interconnected, whether we are aware of it or not. This was made particularly apparent by the whites in the novel reacting to the African-American

Like every child, it doesn’t take much to get into Mister Leland’s heart. All it took was for Tucker to buy him some peanuts for Mister Leland to start thinking of him as a friend. For this reason, Mister Leland was the most defensive of Tucker when the men on the porch started calling him crazy, and the most betrayed by what he did. However, the depth of the exodus’ impact on Mister Leland is much greater than just losing a friend. Tucker’s actions ultimately led to the torture and murder of Revered Bradshaw, which happens to wake Mister Leland during the night. Mister Leland, listening to the screaming of a dying man as his murderers laugh, thinks that Tucker has come back and entertains himself with dreams of the party he must be having. This will be the last bit of innocence that Mister Leland will ever enjoy, because the next morning all his naiveté will be stolen from him forever when he finds the Reverend’s dead and mangled body. From Mister Leland’s perspective, we also learn of the reason behind Tucker’s actions. Mister Leland doesn’t truly recognize the meaning behind Tucker’s words when he says that he’s “lost” something, but due to Kelley’s use of dramatic irony, the readers do. We understand that living in the south has stripped Tucker of his selfhood and dignity and right to live as a human being, and that he is leaving town in

As heir to one of the most powerful southern legacies, Dewey grew up extremely sheltered and privileged, causing him to possess naiveté that would certainly be uncharacteristic in teenagers today. However, Tucker’s actions cause Dewey to realize the truth about the relationship between his family and the Calibans, and ultimately steal his innocence by forcing him to witness the horrifying precursor to the death of Reverend Bradshaw. When he first arrives home from college, Dewey is still an ingenuous and unworldly privileged white male, completely oblivious to the hardships faced by the blacks in his community. After receiving news of Tucker’s actions, Dewey reflects back on his time with the Calibans, and although his realization is not explicit, unhealthy relationship between the two families begins to dawn on him. Through Kelley’s use of dramatic irony once again, we as the readers are able to read between the lines of Dewey’s thoughts: the Wilsons abused the Calibans, and Tucker left town in order to free himself and his family from the toxic cycle faced by his ancestors for generations. In addition to finally coming to this realization, Dewey is witness to the torture of Reverend Bradshaw, and is forced shed his innocence entirely as he glimpses firsthand what a brutal place the world can be. This character perspective taught me that Dewey Wilson III, is also, in some ways, a different drummer. Unlike the other