Tuesday Blog: Week Two

This week I have continued reading Marcelo In the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. This book is about a young man aged 17 who suffers from a disorder similar to Asperger's syndrome which is on the ASD. Marcelo is working at his father's law firm where his father wants him to participate in "normal people things". This unsupportive behavior does not lead Marcelo to feel encouraged or confident in his new workplace. On top of the pressure his dad places in him, Marcelo also has to deal with many mental dilemmas surrounding his unethical coworkers. One of his coworkers, Wendell, tries to take advantage of him to get a girl. His coworker talks about sex and other inappropriate topics with him and tells Marcelo how he “wants” his boss Jasmine. He then explains how he wants Marcelo to help him lure Jasmine onto his boat. Wendell plays out a scenario which sounds much like a plan to rape her and bribes Marcelo to help. Very conflicted Marcelo leaves and keeps the plan to himself.

Source: http://www.aspergersnaturalhelp.info

Quote

“In some way, the strange-looking streets are simply a reflection of my thoughts. It seems perfectly natural to be lost outside when that’s the way I am inside. No landmarks anywhere” (Stork 163)

After Wendell brought Marcelo out to lunch he left after revealing his plan to seduce Jasmine. Marcelo is left alone in an unfamiliar place and is also very confused about what Wendell had just asked of him. Marcelo has always had a hard time understanding things like sex and relationships, so when Wendell told him all of those things it confused him even more. When he was leaving the restaurant he got lost. As he was trying to find his way Marcelo compares his mental state to his physical state of being lost. In the quote, he is basically saying that he has no clue what's going on inside of him and that he does not recognize himself.

Source: http://www.aspergersnaturalhelp.info

This quote can not only connect to Marcelo, but it can connect to nearly anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed. As the diagrams show, someone with ASD often has trouble comprehending or has inflexible thinking, this is what leads Marcelo to feel lost in his own mind. Although I personally do not have any type of ASD, I also sometimes have the feeling of being lost and confused about things going on in my head. These feelings of confusion usually present themselves when I am undergoing a large change or when I am under a lot of stress.