What Goes Around, Comes Around
Running With Scissors, By Augusten Burroughs is a great memoir that illustrates the life of a strong-willed person who knows what he believes in, and sticks with what he’s got. Having led a difficult life with his friends and family, Burroughs grew up developing his strength of mind which helped him survive many large obstacles that could have potentially destroyed him.
“‘Don’t you ever just feel like we’re chasing something? Something bigger. I don’t know, it’s like something that only you and I can see. Like we’re running, running, running?’” (290). This quote was said by Natalie, Augusten’s only close friend who understands him. The both of them had been through many of the same problems. Both were adopted by Dr. Finch, Augusten’s mother’s psychiatrist, and grew up with similar relationship issues. They had both been through a lot of hardships, and at some point in their life, felt if nothing could get better. This quote is a perfect example of how their minds work. Sometimes they feel trapped, with no one to trust or help them. They both however, have one great similarity that helps them get by from day to day: strong will power. They both know what they believe in, and they both stick to it no matter what problems they may face.
Augusten grew up with a distant father, and a psychotic mother. His mother put him through the most. She would take advantage of his kindness, and took him on her emotional roller coaster of a life. She gave him away to her shrink, and almost always brought him to tears with her psychotic episodes. He describes her as being completely self-absorbed. Augusten is always put second, but on the bright side, this helped him to become the strong man he was meant to become. After one of his mother’s crazy episodes, she is taken to a mental hospital in Vermont. She returns with a lumberjack looking man, and still somewhat crazy. Her partner, Dorothy explains to him: “‘Your mother feels strongly that God has brought them together. And that Cesar is going to be a part of our lives from now on” (208). This proves that his mother won’t even takes into consideration what Augusten might think, even on a situation as silly as this.
Although Augusten has been put through many different pains in his lifetime, everything worked out for him in the end. He became a successful writer, and also very wealthy. His mother ended up differently: “My mother lives alone in a small apartment on a river near the Massachusetts and New Hampshire border. Because of a major stroke, she is paralyzed on one side fo her body and is dependant on aids” (304). This proves that although Augusten was put through hell by his mother who always put herself first, the strong one always pulls through.
Augusten Burroughs always tried to be as strong as he could be. He led a very difficult life, he always felt like he was running, running running. He’s stopped running, and lives a fruitful life. What goes around, comes around.
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