Hands

At the beginning of the story Hands I honestly believed that Wing Biddlebaum was not making an innocent gesture. I thought that Wing played with his hands to fight urges. When I was younger and a teacher touched me I did not find it awkward or uncomfortable because I knew it didn’t mean anything. If someone of authority touches a younger person and they feel awkward then it usually means their reaction is normal and it is a problem. After Biddlebaum had raised his hand to caress George Willard he freaked out. I thought he did this because he knew his intentions and as trying fight his urges. He also told George that he could no longer speak with him. If that was an innocent thing with no hidden urge then I would not see why them talking to each other again would be a problem. Then as I read further into the story my mind was changed. I believe that when he was a young school teacher it was normal for you to touch a child. Touching someone is a sign of caring and encouragement, so it would be normal for a teacher to touch a younger person on the head our shoulder as a way of saying good job. The reason for him freaking out is because he didn’t want to be accused of something that had not taken place. I then thought that the reason he plays with his hands all the time is because he is nervous that no matter what he does he could be in trouble just because someone says something. There is a part of me though that believes that young boy did not make up a story about him. Maybe the things the child said had really happened, but he had repressed the memory. There are so many theories that could go along with this story.