Question

Read the excerpt from “Raymond's Run.”

I was once a strawberry in a Hansel and Gretel pageant when I was in nursery school and didn’t have no better sense than to dance on tiptoe with my arms in a circle over my head doing umbrella steps and being a perfect fool just so my mother and father could come dressed up and clap. You’d think they’d know better than to encourage that kind of nonsense. I am not a strawberry.

What does the narrative voice in this excerpt tell readers about Squeaky’s character?

She wishes she could be more like other girls in school.
She worries that her parents are disappointed with her.
She knows who she is and is comfortable with herself.
She thinks that she is good at and succeeds in everything.

Answer 1

She knows who she is and is comfortable with herself.

The narrator rejects the silly, performative role she once played and asserts her identity ("I am not a strawberry"), showing self-awareness and confidence rather than insecurity or concern about disappointing her parents.