Essay Questions

Who is to blame for Reef Kennedy’s misfortunes and troubles?

The reef is arrested after causing a fatal accident in the overpass. He throws a stone that hits a moving car resulting in a fatal accident. The occupant of the car is a young woman who is immediately taken to the hospital. Kennedy Reef is taken into a rehabilitation center. The reason why Reef is throwing the stone is to satisfy his anger because the local government just destroyed the field where he and his friends go to have fun. He is frustrated by the actions of the government because it did not consult the children who play there before destroying it. Therefore, the local government is to blame for the troubles that Reef is going through.

Is Kennedy Reef mentally unstable?

Don Aker depicts Kennedy Reef as a mentally unstable young man who can do anything after being proved. For instance, Reef is throwing a stone overpass to express his frustration because the local government has destroyed their playground. He fails to reconsider the consequences of his actions. Similarly, he fails to understand his actions due to anger can hurt someone. There seems to be a lack of proper parenting and guidance because the boy does not know how to control his emotions.

What does the reader learn from Reef’s interest to get intimate with Leeza?

Kennedy Reef acted out of frustration an indication that he feels lonely and unloved. The actions of the local government make him feel rejected. When he meets Leeza at the hospital facility, he starts liking her not because of intimacy alone but also to feel accepted. His closeness and friendship with Leeza also make him feel confident.