choices galore!

As we have discussed, Swami is constantly faced with choices. In fact, each chapter is based around a choice. I find it interesting that at such a young age, he is faced with some extreme choices. Granted, some choices are age appropriate, like what group of friends he chooses to involve himself with, but many young children are not given the choice of choosing their schools. While he might not be "given" the choice, he takes it upon himself and makes these choices. I think that Swami makes his decisions based on the here and now. He does not seem to think of the consequences, but of what everyone else is doing and what seems to be correct at the time. When I first thought about it, I thought that he was taking the easy way out, for instance, not standing through a punishment, but the more I think about it the more it seems that he makes decisions based on how proud he is. An example, is that he burns his hat to make India proud, and he runs away from his school because he is too proud to stand and take a punishment. I also think it does have to do with his age and his maturity, that while he has a mind of his own, he is easily influenced by those proud people around him.