Significance of Role Models in "The Contender"
Significance of Role Models in "The Contender"
Really, what is a role model? According to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary, the definition for role model is “a person on whom others model themselves.” According to me, a role model is someone we look up to and get inspiration from throughout our lives. Most of us have a role model whom we all want to be like. Role models can have a great effect on our lives. Different people have different role models in their life to look up to. For an instance, some kids think their father or mother is really great, so they look up to their parents and consider them as their role models. Others might have great athletes their role models. Role models play a major role in shaping a person’s life. Suppose a person is a basketball enthusiast and has Michael Jordan as his role model; the person’s life would then be greatly influenced by this great athlete. We all learn as we grow from a child to an adult. The presence of a role model makes this growth worth something; we then learn from our role model and try to walk on his or her footsteps. In Robert Lipsyte’s The Contender, Mr. Donatelli, Spoon, and other boxers change Alfred’s life over the course of the novel, and are two great role models to Alfred.
Alfred gets inspiration from Mr. Donatelli as he learns about him and tries to follow his sayings. As Alfred starts going to the gym, he learns certain nutritional habits from Donatelli. Henry explains to Alfred how Donatelli made Jelly Belly quit boxing, “Mr. Donatelli says anybody can’t control himself with food can’t go all the way. He said that to Jelly’s face” (113). Mr. Donatelli sets a great example for Alfred to follow in order to get in a good shape. Alfred learns how Mr. Donatelli focuses a lot on the food; accordingly, he learns that the kind of food and exercise can make a boxer really active. After Alfred learns about nutrition and exercise from Donatelli, he starts to follow Donatelli’s guidance and feels a lot energized than before. During the beginning of his training, Alfred describes the changes, “. . . he felt more awake than he usually did on Sunday morning,...