Michael Chabon does a beautiful job of displaying the character and the personality of his son Abe in this piece. What Abe possesses, something that a majority of people aren’t able to possess even as grown adults is a sense of self-assurance in their own skin. At just the age of 13 years old this young man has expressed himself freely and confidently nearly his entire life.
What’s important to note is that he isn’t necessarily welcomed with open arms by those around him, yet he continues to flourish and allow his self-expression to roam freely without the worry of others condemning him for his choice of fashion. Normally this type of discouragement might disarm someone from wanting to showcase their own sense of style and self-definition, however, Abe continues to push through those who doubt his self-confidence. Chabon mentions when Abe started to go to preschool and dress up, “There had been teasing; one of his two little snap-brims would get snatched off his head now and then, and tossed around the playground. But the teasing had never exceeded Abe’s ability or willingness to withstand it, or the joy he derive from losing himself in the clothes.” (Chabon, 65). Normally these odds would go against some, and they would back down from the fight and be less open about their self-expression but as Chabon describes throughout the piece Abe goes against it, and in Chabon’s words “He flew the freak flag of Tigran Avetisyan shirt high.” (Chabon, 66)
What Chabon realizes after visiting Fashion week with his son, is that Abe has truly felt accepted for the first time after being at the events they attend. Chabon mentions; “‘It was the people you were with, the GQ guys, the buyers, that dude who owns Wild Style.'” (Chabon, 70) From this quote is when Chabon truly understands his son’s feelings. This type of environment is the first time Abe is able to feel like he had people that understood the kind of interests that he was akin to. Not necessarily the environment you might think of when it comes to warm and inviting. What the main takeaway from this should be that even in the toughest of conditions, self-expression and self-definition can always prevail, with Abe being the shining example.
