Black Dog of Fate: A Memoir

The opening anecdote of the section highlights the competing interests in the coming-of-age era of juvenile life when the desire to be conventionally cool meets burgeoning individuality. Peter impresses a high school English class with his analysis of poetry, and then gets a jock strap flung in his face in the locker room for this seemingly “heavy” interest (117). The locker room jesting turns into a fistfight. His interest in (and ability to understand) poetry soon places a rift between him and his girlfriend as well. She thinks this newfound interest is elitist.

Peter’s love of language makes him reevaluate his Balakian aunts who he always thought of as highbrow in contrast to himself. He starts to appreciate his Auntie Anna’s books about surrealism and French literature. He says, “I loved the playfulness of the phrases and the mystery of whatever my aunt was getting at” (119). He seeks out her New York Times book reviews and pieces together a more complete image of who she is and what her life is like, no longer so fundamentally unrelatable.

To some extent, the author embraces these influences. His knack for poetry and language impress his teachers and classmates, who might have previously seen him as just a jock.