| An Essay on
Richard Brautigan’s "The Kool-Aid Wino" By Kathleen Delehant In a "reality" of poverty, neglect and disorder, a young epileptic boy is able to find happiness, gain self-awareness and find sanctity in a "reality" he creates through the process of making Kool-Aid. He could easily be viewed as an unproductive glutton by others who don’t understand his circumstances. He neglects his daily routine of chores and even his hygiene. He shrugs of his mother’s inquiry as to when he is going to do the dishes, making his addiction to the ceremonial process of preparing Kool-Aid his first priority. Despite his tendency to slack off a bit, I find the character to be inspiring and positive, in that, he has created his own "reality" where order exists. He is able to inspire others and illuminate his circumstances by a ceremony that he takes as seriously as a priest. The process of making Kool-Aid gives him a feeling that his existence has meaning. I think this is a situation where being a addict is not necessarily something negative. The long term effects of his addiction are more helpful than destructive. The Kool-Aid process is vital to the boy’s existence because it is able to stimulate his mind where the "reality" of being a poor handicapped boy could not. So, considering the boy’s
circumstances, he is a positive character, worthy of
being thought of as an inspiration. |