Children often struggle to make up their minds. Chocolate or vanilla? Play outside or inside? Football or basketball? They swing back and forth between opinions, even on small scales, almost never maintaining any absolute truth. Even into adulthood, opinions change endlessly, as they sometimes should (depending on the occasion). Opinions are based on circumstances; when circumstances change, opinions often follow suit. In the epic, “The Lion’s Awakening,” which takes place in West Africa, the character Mari Djata makes decisions that continuously cause the reader’s opinion of him to vacillate. Pitiful, weak and lonely accurately depict the reader’s view of Mari Djata toward the beginning of the story. In one instance, Sogolon, Mari Djata’s mother, “burst into sobs and seizing a piece of wood, hit her son.” What kind of mother strikes her son? As a reader this causes pity to bestow upon Mari Djata, especially when recalling Mari Djata’s inability to walk at the age of seven. Mari Djata resembles a helpless, innocent puppy. Imagine a fluffy, snow-white colored puppy – forget that he tears up people’s shoes – getting struck by someone much larger than him. That same feeling surfaces when Sogolon hits her son. Sympathy and sadness just pour over sweet, disabled Mari Djata from the reader. …show more content…
Readers feel confused due to lack of understanding why Mari Djata did not decide to walk sooner. At the same time, we feel proud and excited because of his determination to relieve his mom of the shame that she feels. We now regard him as a helpful and sweet little boy who cares about his mother. We also feel anxious to see if his plans will