Student Question

What is Raymond doing while Hazel and the other girls are racing?

Quick answer:

While Hazel races, Raymond mimics her by running parallel on the other side of the fence, with a unique style of his own. Before the race, Hazel places Raymond in the swings and hears him hollering. During the race, she notices him running with his arms down and palms up, which captivates her. Afterward, he rattles the fence and climbs over to join her, leading Hazel to decide to train him as her champion.

Expert Answers

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Before Hazel begins her race against the other girls, she puts her brother Raymond "in the little swings." Hazel then watches the other races, while waiting for her own race to begin.

Just before her race (the fifty-yard dash) is scheduled to begin, she hears Raymond "hollering from the swings." When Hazel takes her place at the start line, she sees that Raymond is "on the other side of the fence, bending down with his fingers on the ground just like he (knows) what he (is) doing." The implication is that he is mimicking his little sister, who he admires so much.

During the race, Hazel notices her brother Raymond running parallel to her, on the other side of the fence. He runs "with his arms down to his side and the palms tucked up behind him, running in his very own style." It's the first time Hazel has ever seen her brother run like this, and she almost stops running to watch him.

After the race, Raymond starts "rattling the fence like a gorilla in a cage," and then he climbs over the fence and runs towards his sister. His sister begins "jumping up and down" because she is so pleased to see him. She decides that, from now on, she will focus on training her brother. She will "begin a whole new career as a coach with Raymond as (her) champion."

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