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Shacora Hayes YALIT Reader-response

“And I was off, escaping, the way you always have to escape sooner or later if you don’t want to be clucked over and sympathized with and have to listen to all that mush, or worse, have to answer the next question and the next and the next. If you have to answer every time, how are you ever going to learn to forget?”(pg 13).

As I was reading //King of Shadows// I noticed the elements of escaping and belonging. As young youth, I believe these feelings expressed in the book are perfect because this is the time in their lives where they are confused and in search of something that will cause them meaning. Times are confusing and when things become rough in ones lives the most popular notion is to escape what is causing the distress. In Nat’s case what was causing him the distress was his family and the past thoughts that arose when thought or discussed of. All he wanted to do was leave the memories of his past and join something that he thought would allow him to be free. He felt like he belonged at the company and through his part as Puck he was able to leave his own life and fully submerse himself in the play. When he woke up in the past he, again, felt like an outcast and wanted to escape until he had the feeling of belonging when William Shakespeare took him under his wing and gave him much needed advice. The feeling of belonging and escaping is truly intertwined within the text.

This story is also great for young adults because it includes the idea of time traveling. After learning about the idea of traveling in time to a destination either in the past or to a future they have learned about it becomes something that they would like to do. It was even more glorified because he was able to travel in time to someone he looked up to, who in his fevered dream became his mentor.

Although the story is not for our age range I, and I believe that others of all ages, could relate to the elements of wanting to escape one’s present or past and having the feeling of finally belonging somewhere is extraordinary. Like unfortunate Nat, I too discovered death at an early age in life so this story I felt I could truly relate to. Not wanting anyone to ask questions because it would only make you unpleasant and think you begin to think about the past. I can remember times wanting to escape from reality itself and not having anywhere to go because who can really escape reality without doing illegal things. The only thing that one could do would be to just run away to something that you can immerse yourself in to the point where you can not think about what is unpleasant. I myself was not interested in plays, or where they provided at my elementary school or middle school. However, I enjoyed the outside and often ventured outside alone to find the quite solidarity of nature to escape the world itself. The trees seemed to be my solace and the birds my music. When it was time for sports I took my anger at life in general out on my opponent and the ball. This had now turned into my escape from the things that made me upset.

In the end this is a wonderfully crafted story that dwells on fantasy, the timing traveling aspect, and the reality of life, reading about something that could happen in real life situations.