Response to Literature: the Kid Nobody Could Handle

Jennings, John February 3, 2011 Period 1 HE#1

Response to Literature: “The Kid Nobody Could Handle”

(title, author, response)“The Kid Nobody Could Handle” by Kurt Vonnegut was a great story about the love of one man and his ability to completely change his environment. ( background/summary)The story was based around the anger of a young man, Jim, and the reaction to this anger by George Helmholtz, a music teacher, and Quinn, the owner of the “Hill” and a diner. (response) It is not hard for me to relate to Jim since, even though it was a long time ago, I was an angry and depressed youth who didn’t believe that anyone understood anything. My anger, like Jim’s, burst forth at the most unexpected moments and caused much grief and sadness. Blaming the world was what I did, again, like Jim. (background/summary) As the story progress, the reader sees that George Helmholtz is a generous, kind man who takes an instant liking to young Jim when he (quote) “… see[s] that the boy's eyes were as expressionless as oysters.” He offers to take the young man to school and to his credit overlooks Jim’s arrogant rudeness when he slams the door and simply walks away. (response) When Jim walked away from Helmholtz, my anger for Jim began to “boil over.” For a brief moment I wanted to, well, slap the kid, but then I remembered all the times I did stupid things and either my parents or more specifically my grandparents, overlooked them. Patience is Helmholtz’s greatest trait, like my grandparents, he was able to see through Jim’s façade to the scared, little boy beneath; he saw his potential and was willing to do anything to help him. (background.summary) The narrative moves forward as Mr. Helmholtz returns to his room and begins to put his room in order. Muttering to himself, he heard a commotion in the other room. When he investigated, much to his dismay, he discovered Jim pouring acid all over the room effectively destroying anything it touched. (comment) This was a pivotal moment for both Jim and Mr. Helmholtz. Whose position would win was anyone’s guess at this point. In fact George mutters, " I - I don't know…" in reference to calling the police or not. Would it be Jim’s sarcastic arrogance or Mr. Helmholtz’s patience and love? When Helmholtz decides to give Jim John Phillip Souza’s trumpet, (comment) the reader realizes that eventually, though there will be more painful moments, patience and love will win the day. (response) It is hard for anyone to see beyond the moment, but like Helmholtz, my profession forces me to look beyond to the possibility of improvement. Last week a student “borrowed” a roll of athletic tape; he was caught. I had a decision to make. I did not write a referral because I felt that was not the answer; instead I spoke with this young man. I believe he “got” it. This is the beauty of Vonnegut’s story; it exposes the worst and celebrates the best in all of us. (background/summary)The climax of the story is centered on the trumpet, John Phillip Souza’s trumpet. This instrument is the object which Mr. Helmholtz prizes above everything else, and he has given it to Jim, a frustratingly arrogant and rude young man. When George enters the diner for breakfast, he is confronted by Quinn, who is upset that George did not call the police and report Jim’s destruction of the lab the previous evening. Quinn also instructs Jim to return the trumpet implying that Jim stole the trumpet. When Helmholtz states that he had given the trumpet to the boy, Quinn doesn’t believe him. At this point, George, a usually patient and calm man, grabs the trumpet and smashes it against the railing. (response) Everyone is shocked but none more so than Jim who finally realizes his own intrinsic self worth. Everyone who reads “The Kid Nobody Could Handle” is confronted with their own bitter-sweet memories of self-doubt and depression; it is the rare person indeed who has never felt this way. For me my Mr. Helmholtz’s moment came when I was about 17 and my grandparents bought me a complete bedroom set with bookshelves, and then gave it to me when I suddenly moved out 2 months later. They didn’t say a word. They simply gave it all to me. I could not believe it. I was worth more than the bedroom set to them. This moment, like Jim’s, was a turning point in my life. The beauty of Vonnegut’s story is that each of us at some time in our life, hopefully, will have a Helmholtz’s moment. “The Kid Nobody Could Handle” is a story about all of us. It forces us to remember or to hope for the realization of self worth and value.

(fictional response…)

This was difficult for me because I could see that Jim was wrong, but I could “totally relate” to why he was walking away. Jim did not want anyone to see him with the older man because of peer pressure. Just a few weeks ago, I was leaving my biology class and my favorite teacher waved to me; I knew he could see me; we had eye contact. I completely “blew him off” and walked away. I know he was hurt, but I didn’t care.