First Stone Ptsd

1254 Words3 Pages

Most individuals are unaware that verbal violence is more prevalent (61.2%) than physical violence (54.6%) in cases of PTSD levels exceeding 14 points. In the novel The First Stone, verbal abuse is seen throughout Reef’s childhood, transitioning to the present. Having abusive grandparents and being in a foster home made it very difficult for Reef to begin with a happy childhood. Reef’s abusive childhood took a toll on his overall self-control, such as not being able to hold back, cursing at others or making careless choices. This carried onto the present when he was in high school and made him hopeless of having a promising future. Reef's nostalgic thoughts of his abusive past led him to create a huge disaster for himself, resulting in his arrest. Don Aker’s The First Stone emphasizes how abuse is …show more content…

Throughout Reef’s childhood, he experienced so much verbal abuse, which over time took a toll on his mental health, leading to reckless choices. To begin, when Reef was a child, he lost both his parents and was forced to live with his grandparents. Reef’s grandpa was a violent alcoholic who abused him, while his grandmother was the only loving person in his life. In the novel, when the two truck owners were screaming at Reef, it reminded him of how his grandpa would drunkenly call his name and say "good-fer-nothin' sonuvabitch bastard". This shows how verbal abuse contributes to Reef’s overall mental health, since he had to deal with a grandpa who always insulted him. His grandpa cursing at Reef and saying that he is good for nothing would lead him to make reckless choices to prove that he is

More about First Stone Ptsd

Open Document