Ysrael

I loved it. I think there was some truth to the story, there were a lot of small details that just fit. Rafa's age, and that constant need to assert and prove himself, the disregard for authority and complete lack of caution are so typical of young boys, especially those in that "man of the house" role. It seems like Rafa's character is a take on somebody that the writer knew very well. The young boy who looks up to his older brother and who's brother is also, to some degree, the boy's father figure, begins to make friends with or at least connect with Ysrael and would obviously be opposed to his brother's actions. But, because of a lot of factors in this story, the young boy does as his brother asks when it comes down to it. I liked that the older brother had a little bit of a philosophy to back up his actions. He subscribes to the belief in a pecking order, and tries to teach his brother to be tough by bullying him, in this way, looking out for his brother. It seemed to me that this story was a sort of compilement of experiences, condensed into one day.