Stitches

(Small 56)

As a child, David Small would view things as a normal child. One of the differences between David and others was that he didn't have no one; No friends, close family, pet, nothing. He was always lonely. He would cover his head up with a yellow towel pretending to be Alice with her blonde hair. He imagined the fairy tale as an escape from reality. He just wanted someone to care for him. He would run around, searching for a mirale to happen to find anyone and anything to care about him. When the other children from the playground see him like this, they find it unusual. They find it bizzare cause they have eachother, while David has no one. They called him hurtful names to attack David emotionally. David had to run away to avoid their physical actions that backed up their cruel words.

(Small 59)

After fleeing the bullies, David gets creative. He draws and imgaines himself entering his work. This is his way of expressing himself. This is his way to feel secure. He's going into his artwork thats shaped like an actual stomach. This demonstrates that him drawing makes him feel guarded and protected.

(Small 63)

As a teen, David still plays a role in Alice and Wonderland. David views his therapist as the mad hatter or white rabbit from Alice. Just like the white rabbit leads and cares for Alice, Davids therapist does for David.

(Small 269)



When David and his mother go to Indiana to visit her mother, David see's something that makes him question his grandma. He notices a man on a cross and asked his grandmother what is it. When she asks him if he has one of these in his house, David replies back with a statement that offends grandmother. She disciplines him in a very harsh way and puts him to sleep. While laying in bed, David waits for his mother to return. He tries telling her that his grandmother is crazy. His mom doesn't approve of this and tells David to never repeat that. She then leaves David alone. He starts thinking there's no hope and imagines Jesus denying him. Which as an adult he now knows Jesus loves and accepts everyone whether he believes or not.

(Small 101)

As a child David would always obey his mother or just stay out of her way. As he got older he no longer tolerated her rudeness. On page 174 when he is recoverying from surgery, his mom asks him what he would like within reason. He tells her he wants his book that she had thrown away previously but with anger and resentment. He's realizes he isn't going to take that nonesense. He starts treating his mom the way she treats him. At the end of the book when he's an adult, his mother passes away. He then learns her history of her heart being on the wrong side of her chest and how she suffered heart attacks towards the end of her life. He looks back to when he was a child and realizes his mom would always be coughing.

(Small 15)