Independent reading "Runaway"

Cathy Pham

29 October, 2010

12 English CP

Ryan Gallagher

                                                RUNAWAY by Evelyn Lau

            In Evelyn Lau’s memoir, Runaway diary of a street kid the character Evelyn’s passion for writing conflicts directly with her parents, ultimately resulting that being homeless is very dangerous. Evelyn is only 14 years old and love writing more than anything including her life. She decided to runaway because her parents wanted her to focus on school and they would lock her inside her room to study all day and night. She had the passion for writing and if she took out her journal she would get beaten. Evelyn decided to runaway and realizes that the streets were full of drugs, prostitutions and reality.

Evelyn Lau was an innocent 14 year old girl that loves to write. The only problem was her “parents did not approve of my writing and or the peace movement.” (page 11) Her parents didn’t believe that she can make a living off of writing. They only wanted her to score a perfect score on all her exams, when she received an “89 percent on an exam.” (Page 10) She would have to study and study with no free time to be a kid. She should have some time to run around the yard and have a few pals over to be kids. Her parents made her very upset and she decided to pick up and roam the lonely dangerous street.

         Evelyn never had the love connection with her parents, she was never cared for. When the guy name “Ed told me he loved me,” (Page 248) she was very cold hearted and her “comeback, I laughed and said matter of factly oh yeah. WOW, what a shock. Why?” (Page 248) She didn’t say that because she was heartless. She said it because throughout her life time no one ever loved her and she came across a lot of pathetic guys. So, when Ed told her he loved her she didn’t know the right thing to say. Evelyn was on the right track because it was out of the ordinary, her respond was reasonable because it was unusually for someone to say that to her. She might have not even understood the word love. Io someone were never expose to it they wouldn’t know how to react to it as quickly as someone else that was love their whole entire life.

   The most intense part was when Evelyn part was when Evelyn went to “work” she had token “Valium before leaving the house,” She was walking into a war zone on Broadway. She had to fight to get what she wanted; she could either get killed or seriously hurt. The previous nights a guy put a “knife to the throat,” of Evelyn. She was terrified, because having to experience violence at a young age is very scary. She was like a baby competing with the other hookers on the streets. This was the only way Evelyn can “self destruct.”  She would sometimes wish a guy would kill her in the dark alley way. She just wanted to be taken out of the world of reality.

    Evelyn Lau has found a nice guy that she is staying with. He takes very good care of her. He reminds her as a father figure that she had never had. She was going through a phase of suicidal thoughts. She is a very talented young lady. These experiences only made her stronger and who she is today. The end of the book she said it is painful to look back at her own writing because of all the dangerous positions she was in. She has grown up to be very successful. She always wanted a parent figure and to be appreciated. Her life is very complete now. Evelyn demonstrates that we have to go and get what we want we can’t wait around because the possibilities are that it wouldn’t come at all. So, follow your heart and your dream and don’t let anyone hold us back.