Significance-
When Jeff Comes Home is a novel about a 16 year old boy that was kidnapped during his preteen years. After 2 and half years of suffering; being physically and sexually assaulted, his kidnapper decides to take him home, and sets him free. Although he is back home, the fear remains with him. From the moment he got back home, he knew his life will never be the same again. With this book being filled with such intense and brutal scenes, I wasn't all that sure that this book had any sort of significance. However, it wasn't until after I finished the book when I realized it did.
Though most scenes in the book were very brutal, it was the fact that it related so much to the real world that made it significant. We often watch the news and hear about situations very much like Jeff's. He was kidnapped, molested, and was used for money. Though we do feel sorry for those who experience such things, there isn't a way for us to exactly know they've gone through. This book illustrates certain events that occur in situations like this. It helps us imagine what people have experienced such things have gone through, causing us to have more care for them. Another thing that makes it significant is seeing how it greatly affected and damaged Jeff's life.He was a normal 13 year old before he got kidnapped. He was a star athlete, as well as a bright student. Jeff was surrounded by many friends and family. And within a flash, everything changes. After the kidnapping, Jeff's attitude changed drastically. He felt like a stranger to his own home, his own family. For quite sometime, he lived through day to day with fear that Ray, his kidnapper would hunt him down, and go back for him. He no longer had the strength, or motivation for school, as well as sports. Jeff was ashamed of everything he'd been through, causing him to deal with his thoughts, and his problems on his own. This teaches us about the unpredictable world that we live in: How we can go from everything to nothing, from pride, to shame.
Perspective-
The novel is told/narrated by Jeff. A 16 year old troubled teenager, who was recently liberated from his kidnapper, Ray Slaight. He talks about his painful memories from the kidnapping, and his thoughts on other people's perspectives.
Evidence-
Jeff being released from his kidnapper after 2 and a half years, causes him to live in a world of shame and fear. Ashamed of his physical and sexual relationship with Ray, he chooses to keep his painful memories as a secret, causing him to deal with his emotional states on his own; his loss of self-esteem, his fear of being judged, and his fear of no longer having the chance to be a regular teenager again. This incident teaches us how any event can deeply cut our lives. It shows us the effects of the unpredictable world from many, different angles.
Connections-
This connects to the real world, because a numerous amount of teenagers have gone through what Jeff has. We see it on the news, hear about it on the radio, and read it on newspapers. It also connects to us, because there have been situations in our lives, that really moved and changed us. We also all experience the unpredictable things that life throws at us,
Supposition-
The book ends with Jeff being comforted by his dad, which leads him to finally have the courage to speak up, and let his family know what he'd gone through. Because of this, I assume that he'll have better ways on how to cope with his problems. I think will become more eager to get his life back together again.
