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The Piece of Wood
At a few points in the book, Dave Pelzer fantasizes about being Superman and flying away from his awful, abusive mother. Superman symbolizes Dave’s hope and optimism, which are critical in helping him survive his years of abuse. Superman could also symbolize Dave’s struggle to take control over his own life, instead of relying on cruel or indifferent people like his parents or his brothers.
Superman Quotes in A Child Called It
The A Child Called It quotes below all refer to the symbol of Superman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5 Quotes
I willed the wound to heal. Somehow I knew it would. I felt proud of myself. I imagined myself like a character in a comic book, who overcame great odds and survived. Soon my head slumped forward and I fell asleep. In my dream, I flew through the air in vivid colors. I wore a cape of red … I was Superman.
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At the end of Chapter Five, Dave is still reeling from his injury: Mother has stabbed him with a kitchen knife, and then treated the wound with a tiny amount of gauze. Furthermore, she forces Dave to sleep in the cold, uncomfortable garage, as usual. Dave spends the night in horrible pain. However, instead of shouting out for Mother’s help, he forces himself to bear the pain. He wakes up and proceeds to treat his wound with water, until it no longer bleeds as much. Proud of himself, Dave dreams about being Superman and flying through the sky. The passage Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consec
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Superman Symbol Timeline in A Child Called It
The timeline below shows where the symbol Superman appears in A Child Called It. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: The Accident
...much as it has been. In his dream that night, Dave wears a red cape—he’s Superman.
(full context)
Chapter 7: The Lord’s Prayer
...Mother beats him, but deep down, he hates Mother. He no longer dreams about being Superman, flying away from his misery. The words “hope” and “faith” have no meaning for him....
(full context)
