Raymond's Run
Raymond's Run Summary | Detailed Summary
"Raymond's Run" is Toni Cade Bambara's short story about a young girl named Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker and her brother Raymond. Hazel has a couple of nicknames, including Squeaky, because she has a squeaky voice, and Mercury, because she is fast, like quicksilver when she runs.
In the first person point of view, Hazel dictates quite a bit of information about herself, her neighborhood, her brother, and other children as she walks down the street with her brother, Raymond. She is six years old and she loves to run. In fact, she takes her running very seriously and prides herself in being the fastest runner in her age group and in her neighborhood. She admits, however, that her father is the one person who is faster than she is, although, she says that is a secret.
Hazel walks with Raymond, making certain that he stays closest to the buildings. Apparently, Raymond is mentally handicapped, and Hazel has taken on a role as caretaker for him. He is much bigger than she is, but she still refers to him as her little brother. Raymond pretends to be in a circus, walking a tightrope on the edge of the curb, unless Hazel requires him to stay close to the buildings. If he has a chance to walk along the curb, he typically steps in the deepest puddles and messes up his clothes and shoes. IF this happens, Hazel is the one who takes the blame with their mother.
As the siblings walk along the busy neighborhood street, Hazel counts her breaths in groups of seven as she practices breathing exercises that help with her running. She thinks about the other children her age, especially Gretchen Lewis, who believes she is faster than Hazel is. Gretchen believes she will be able to beat Hazel in the upcoming race in which they both plan to participate.
Gretchen confronts Hazel as the two meet along the walk, and Hazel acts tough, as is typical for her. Hazel actually has earned a...
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