Å Hero Ain't Nothing But a Sandwich
by Ray Childress
In this novel, the theme of survival is very prevelant. These people are living under extraordinary circumstances. They are poor, they have to deal with unemployment, drug abuse, violence, and worse of all, hopelessness. The characters in the novel see no real end to their misery.
Benji, the main character in the novel is a heroine addict. He's 13. Benji doesn't really see anything wrong with what he is doing. His ideology and world view are so skewed from years of abuse and poverty that his life doesn't really mean that much anymore. There are some people that are there to help him, but it doesn't matter. He is trapped in a world of chemical pleasures and hanging around.
Benji tells his step-father to stop acting like he cared. "A hero ain't nothing but a sandwich" he says. He sees the world as a place where everyone has to fend for themselves.
Everyone in the novel is surviving. That is all. That is enough. Success, in their minds, is to survive the torments of life.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
A Hero Ain't Nothing But a Sandwich