Outside reading post #3

John Hockenberry in his novel, Moving Violations, learns the importance of bravery, especially when you are disabled, in order to make it through life. Hockenberry's grandfather lost his arm when he was young and suffered from limited abilities and was also made fun of by many people. However, his grandfather didn't complain once. Hockenberry notes, "Tom Hockenberry's trials and his quiet acceptance of fate was seen as a supreme virtue by his son, my father. The sacrament of that virtue was to never speak of those things" (66-67). Though his bravery was not noticed by most people, Tom Hockenberry's entire family saw and admired his gallentry. Unfortunately, John Hockenberry became disabled after his grandfather passed away, and he often wished he had his grandfather was there to give him advice. He asked his grandmother, one day, what advice his grandfather would have given him, and she confidently answered, "'He'd want you to, you know, be proud and brave and everything else. Because you have to be. You have to push. If you don't push, you're not going to get anywhere'" (68). Although it seemed to many people that Tom and John Hockenberry's lives were destroyed because of their diabilities, but both of them learned how to be brave and how to do everyday tasks and more. Of course this kind of bravery does not only apply to people with disabilities. Everyone must demonstrate tremendous courage and perserverance to get through any difficulties and find a way to succeed despite life's seemingly impenetrable boundaries.