The Imperfect Perfection

Life is never perfect. We all have some defects in our lives. However, an imperfect life with a scarred heart tends to be more understanding and tender, bringing more blessings to others.

Will Levine, a seventh-grade student, doesn’t have a good time in school life. Due to the fact that he has a funny-looking chin, which bothers him a lot, some students bully him either for fun or to get a sense of achievement at school. The physical defect also causes him to be mentally weak. He fails to understand himself and lacks bravery to embrace his life. In the face of difficulties, he acted like a turtle that always tried to evade the problem.

As the title of the story, “turtle boy,” implies, when Will faces challenges, he turns into a terrified turtle, withdrawing back to his own shell, where he feels safe and comfortable. Feeling safe is nothing more than an illusion; his real self remains self-abasing and self-limiting. Though walking out of the turtle shell will cause tremendous changes in life undoubtedly, it’s so hard for Will that he never thinks about going on a roller coaster ride, swimming in the cold pond or even standing out to strive for the environment.

As Will Levine’s bar mitzvah community service project, he has to carry out the task of accompanying RJ, an older boy struggling with an advanced, incurable disease, in the hospital. It was a turning point in his life. Getting along with each other, they are virtually each other’s reflection and guardian angel as well. Although they have different habits and different problems, with RJ. suffering from cancer while Will suffer the pain of broken self-image. Both stay in their “turtle shells.” RJ. is confined to a ward and Will the turtle world, where he is granted a sense of security and confidence.

Will’s voluntary work opens the two boys’ doors to a wider world. RJ. gets a chance to realize his unfulfilled wishes on the bucket list while the protagonist, Will, learns to leave his comfort zone, challenging himself to make changes to his life. It seems two lives of some defects meet each other, helping each other make up for the imperfection in life. In order to realize all the wishes on RJ.’s bucket list, Will needs to pluck up the courage to face his fear and try things he has never done. RJ. is not merely realizing his dreams but saving Will from the self-pitying life pattern. Will is not just helping a dying boy; instead, he dares himself to face his mental problems.

Most people face some hard-to-be-solved problems every now and then, as do I. Take myself for example, having being bullied earlier, I suffer dwarfed confidence and a negative self-image. It’s always a challenge for me to open to people, talking about my inner self frankly and making real friends. Thus, I can identify with the turtle-like Will in that we both choose to stay in our turtle shell while having tribulations in our lives whatever the problem. Staying in our comfort zone, we lose the chance to change our lives and grow up. My personal experience tells me getting through a situation which you are afraid of is really hard, so I am touched deeply by how RJ. influenced Will. RJ., the remnants of a fragile life, nearly breathless, comes to Will as an angel. He inspires and encourages his friend with the imperfection of his life. As the narrator, Will admits, “The bucket list is no longer only a promise I’ve made to RJ. It’s a promise I’m making to myself.”(p.243)Will thus faces his problem bravely, broadening the life scope since ever.

Sometimes even the imperfection within us enlightens other people’s lives. As the saying goes, “our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”