Raymond's Run

"Raymond's Run" is a short story by Toni Cade Bambara within the collection Gorilla, My Love. It is narrated by Hazel Parker, known as Squeaky, whose strong voice lures the reader in immediately. The central idea in the story is about how she has to take care of her older brother Raymond because he is disabled. The pivotal moment at the end shows Squeaky learning to be less self-centered by giving up her competitive running in order to start training Raymond for running. This happens after she wins a May Day race and has a moment of realization noticing Raymond mimicking her running.

The story takes place in Harlem and Squeaky mentions the setting two times in contrast to the "country" where she used to live. First, Squeaky is waiting for the race and narrates “I’m on my back looking at the sky, trying to pretend I’m in the country, but I can’t, because even grass in the city feels hard as sidewalk and there’s just no pretending you are anywhere but in a 'concrete jungle' as my grandfather says” (29). This moment shows there is no escaping the physical reality of her setting. Second, while Squeaky is running, she narrates: “I always feel like I’m in a dream, the kind of dream you have when you’re sick with fever and hot and weightless. I dream I'm flying over a sandy beach in the early morning sun, kissing the leaves of apples, just like in the country when I was little...” (30). Running for her transports her to a world of sandy beaches, apples, and the country, a setting entirely different from Harlem. This emphasizes for readers how running allows Squeaky to imagine herself anywhere, even a place she no longer lives, when she is engaged in an activity that defines her identity. It also emphasizes her sacrifice when she does make her decision to give it up for Raymond, but suggests that reaching for a goal greater than herself is motivating as well.